"But the entire world wanted Angel crucified for responding to CC'": A'ja Wilson's friend makes explosive Alyssa Thomas comment after 'dirty' play

On Sunday, Alyssa Thomas helped lead the Phoenix Mercury to victory over the Washington Mystics. Thomas, however, was involved in one particularly physical play with a Mystics rookie — something that drew the attention of a controversial social media figure with ties to the reigning WNBA MVP.

Michael McManus, an infamous friend of A'ja Wilson's, called out WNBA fans for imposing double standards after Thomas' forearm to the throat of Kiki Iriafen led to a flagrant foul call.

DELORIS NO SPACE FOR H8 JORDAN

@wheelsfelloff_

The way yall are laughing off ATs foul on Kiki but the entire world wanted Angel crucified for responding to CC is exactly why I have such negative feeling about the WNBA

In this tweet, McManus was referring to the infamous altercation during opening weekend in which Chicago Sky star Angel Reese got heated following a hard foul from Indiana Fever floor general Caitlin Clark. McManus, then, implied that fans have been more tolerant of the foul Thomas committed than they have been of Reese's response.

McManus, who was charged in 2021 with third-degree assault and battery after allegedly punching a student, also argued that Thomas has been guilty of excessive physicality for quite some time now.

"Everyone wants to have convos about physicality in the league. But AT does some dirty sh*t to rookies every year. This is not a basketball play," McManus tweeted.

Notably, some time after Thomas picked up her flagrant foul, Iriafen scored on a transition layup and proceeded to taunt AT with a flexing gesture. The Mystics rookie would be whistled for a technical foul because of this.

Amid all the shenanigans in this game, the Mercury limited the Mystics to 25.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Washington also committed a whopping 27 turnovers in this game, which it lost by six points.

Alyssa Thomas opens up on competing against Kiki Iriafen: "This is what we live for"

Now in her 12th season, Alyssa Thomas has gone up against all sorts of competitors in the WNBA. Following the Mercury's win over the Mystics, Thomas was asked if the rookie Kiki Iriafen lit a fire under her that night.

"I love it. This is what we live for," Thomas said. "At the end of the day, this is our home court."

Interestingly, the Mercury will meet the Mystics on two more playdates in the regular season: July 27 and Sept. 4. Both games will be played in Washington, D.C., which means that Thomas will be squaring off against Iriafen in front of the rookie's fan base.