NBA commissioner Adam Silver refused to deny a report that he pushed WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to suspend Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas over a hit on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, speaking at the Game Plan panel during Fanatics Fest.
A Sports Business Journal report said Silver, whose organization controls the WNBA, encouraged Engelbert to give Thomas a flagrant foul and suspension after replay showed she hit Clark in the face while going for a loose ball. According to the report, Engelbert was not initially planning to suspend Thomas, but Silver believed there was clear evidence of a flagrant foul, felt badly for Clark, and told Engelbert she had to act.
Silver said the issues around Clark are not largely about officiating, and that the particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called during the game or whether it was ultimately a flagrant on review. He said he has come to know Clark well and called her an incredible player and an incredible person who wants to focus on being the best player she can be.
Silver calls Clark a 'political football'
Silver said Clark has become a bit of a political football in the country and that it is incredibly unfair to her. He said the issue is not ultimately about officiating and described it as political ping pong involving a young woman trying to improve her game. He added that he does not think it is fair to Clark that one foul has become a separate storyline over whether it should have been called in the moment or upgraded to a flagrant afterward.
Silver said people are allowed to think whatever they want about the league, but that there is so much to celebrate around the WNBA. He said WNBA officiating needs to improve without question, but that his day job involves handling complaints about NBA officiating.
WNBA disputes report
When pressed on the claims in the report, Silver said he was not going to comment because he did not think it was fair to Clark or to Engelbert, and that the real issue was not whether the play was a flagrant foul. The WNBA responded to the Sports Business Journal report by calling the claim that Engelbert was not initially planning to suspend Thomas "absolutely false."
