NBA commissioner says Caitlin Clark unfairly turned into political football

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told attendees at CNBC and Boardroom's Game Plan Summit on Thursday that the attention surrounding Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has turned her into "a political football in this country," which he described as "incredibly unfair" to the player.

Silver declined to comment on reports that he had urged WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to assess a Flagrant 2 foul and suspend Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas after Thomas made contact with Clark’s throat during a June 24 game. He said, "I'm not going to comment on that, because I don't think it's fair to Caitlin (Clark) and to Cathy Engelbert either. That's not the real issue here. ... It's become political ping-pong with her."

He emphasized that the broader discussion should focus on Clark’s development as a player rather than the officiating of that specific play. > "Ultimately, the issues around Caitlin Clark are not largely about officiating and that particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called at the time in the game or whether that was ultimately a flagrant on review. She wants to focus on being the best player she can be."

Silver also noted that the league had later classified the contact as a flagrant foul and suspended Thomas for one game, but he called for improvements in both WNBA and NBA officiating. He added, "We need to improve WNBA officiating, and there's lots to work to do on NBA officiating as well. But I really think this is an opportunity to support Caitlin (Clark) and say, like, let her be the best basketball player she can be."

When asked about Engelbert’s performance, Silver praised the WNBA’s progress, stating, "Cathy (Engelbert) and I work together, and I don’t want to speak for Cathy, but I’m very pleased with where the WNBA is. We made tremendous progress under her leadership over the last several years. Cathy continues to do a strong job building the league."