​INDIANAPOLIS — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he’s grown to know Caitlin Clark “really well.” He praises her as not only an extraordinary player but also an exceptional person who wants to devote herself entirely to becoming the best basketball player and teammate she can be. Yet Silver notes that Clark’s focus has been difficult to maintain amid the whirlwind surrounding her.
“In the country she’s become somewhat of a political football,” Silver told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the CNBC Game Plan Summit in New York City on Thursday. “And I think it’s incredibly unfair to her.”
Silver’s remarks about Clark came after Sorkin pressed him about reports that Silver had intervened to urge WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to suspend Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for an incident with Clark on June 24. Sports Business Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported on July 15 that Silver asked Engelbert to suspend Thomas for placing her fist on Clark’s throat during a loose-ball scramble. A Mercury spokesperson dismissed the claim as “absolutely false.”
Sorkin noted that the report suggested the WNBA wasn’t necessarily planning to penalize Thomas, but that Silver had stepped in to demand a suspension. Silver responded with a light quip, then offered a serious answer. “Let me give you a serious answer to that question. I think that, ultimately, the issues around Caitlin Clark aren’t largely about officiating, and that particular incident isn’t about whether a foul should have been called at the time or whether it would have been ruled a flagrant on review,” he said. “It’s the kind of thing that has turned into political ping-pong involving her.”
When Sorkin pressed again later, asking whether it was fair to say Silver had stepped in, he declined to comment further. “I don’t think it’s fair to Caitlin and to Cathy Engelbert, either. I don’t think that’s the real issue here,” Silver stated.
“The league ultimately decided after the fact that not only should a foul have been called, but that it was a flagrant,” Silver continued. “So, yes, we need to improve WNBA officiating, and there’s a lot of work to do—on that front, and on NBA officiating as well. But I really believe this is an opportunity to support Caitlin and to tell her to ‘let her be the best basketball player she can be.’”
The incident at the heart of Sorkin’s questions occurred on June 24 during a Fever–Mercury matchup when Thomas and two other Mercury players pursued a loose ball as Clark gained control. When Clark was no longer in possession, Thomas kept her fist hovering over Clark’s shoulder and then allowed it to slide toward Clark’s throat before standing up and moving away with the ball. No foul was called at the time. The WNBA later issued a penalty to Thomas in relation to the incident.