NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has spoken out about the treatment of Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.
During the Fever's 71-70 win over the Sky on Saturday, Clark was flagrantly fouled by Chicago's Chennedy Carter, who took down Clark with a blindside shoulder check on an inbounds play.
The foul was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1 by the WNBA, sparking debate about Clark's treatment by the league's veteran players and whether the WNBA is doing enough to protect her.
“I don't want to make too much of an issue about any particular player or any particular call,” Silver said when asked about the foul ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, “but I certainly want Caitlin (Clark) to be treated fairly and appropriately by the league.”
Silver did not go into the details of the foul and supported the punishment imposed by WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, but said Clark's foul was a “welcome to the league” moment.
“As a fan, it's not uncommon to have that 'welcome to the league' moment in basketball, especially with a hot rookie. … She seems like she can hold her own. She's a tough player,” Silver said. “I'm excited to watch her develop in the league.”
Who is Chennedy Carter? What you need to know about the Chicago Sky guard, from stats to salary
Silver said the WNBA's “growing rivalry” is ultimately “good for the sport,” but noted there are “larger societal issues at play … some of which have to do with racial issues.”
“I think this is really healthy ultimately for women's basketball and the WNBA,” Silver said. “It's generated a lot of additional interest. In fairness to the other players, this isn't something that started this year. Kaitlyn has certainly accelerated it.”
