DALLAS — Basketball fan Adam Silver would have loved to have seen Caitlin Clark make the U.S. women's Olympic team for this summer's Paris Games.
As the NBA commissioner, he understands why that didn't happen.
Clark was not selected for the team announced by the United States Basketball Association earlier this week, a decision that has sparked debate in the basketball world. The WNBA's Indiana Fever rookie may be the most talked-about player in the league this season, but Silver said he's rooting for her.
“From my perspective, and I'm in a position independent of the United States Basketball Association that oversees the NBA and ultimately the WNBA, I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but it would have been nice to see her on the court,” Silver said Thursday. “There's no question that she's one of the most popular athletes in the world at the moment, and the viewership is proof of that.”
That was Silver, the fan. And Silver, the basketball executive, understood USA Basketball's mission: to select the 12 women most likely to win Olympic gold again.
“My mission is a little bit different than USA Basketball's mission,” Silver said. “My job is to get more people to watch basketball and love it. USA Basketball had a very specific mission to field the best team possible from a competitive standpoint, and I believe they all did their job as instructed.”
Clark, the league's Rookie of the Year in May, is averaging 16.3 points, 6.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds through her first 13 WNBA games. She's one of two players with at least those averages as of Thursday. Las Vegas' Jackie Young is averaging 16.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
Silver said he believes Clark “is going to have a great career.”
“I'm sure she'll have plenty of opportunities to represent our country,” Silver said.
