NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been turned into “a political football in this country,” which he called “incredibly unfair” to her.
During an appearance at CNBC and Boardroom’s Game Plan Summit on Thursday, July 16, Silver sidestepped questions on whether or not he had a hand in the suspension of Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas following an on-court incident with Clark last month.
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“I’m not going to comment on that, because I don’t think it’s fair to Caitlin (Clark) and to Cathy Engelbert either,” Silver said. “That’s not the real issue here. … It’s become political ping-pong with her.”
According to a report by the Sports Business Journal on Wednesday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert didn’t intend to suspend Thomas for making contact with Clark’s throat with her fist, but Silver implored her to assess a Flagrant 2 Foul and suspension. A WNBA spokesperson told USA TODAY that the SBJ report is “absolutely false.”
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver on the court before game three of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026 in New York.
Silver was asked about the report the following day. He declined to address the report, but kept the focus on Clark, who he’s “come to know … really well,” he said.
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“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,” Silver added. “She wants to focus on being the best player she can. And she’s become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it’s incredibly unfair to her.”
Silver’s referring to an on-court incident that happened during the Mercury‘s 111-109 win over the Fever on June 24. Midway through the second quarter, Clark went to the floor and lost control of the ball. Amid the scramble, Thomas landed on Clark, pushed her fist into Clark’s throat, then stepped over her. No foul was called on the play during the game, prompting Fever head coach Stephanie White to criticize the officials for allowing “cheap shots” on Clark.
Thomas was retroactively handed a one-game suspension for “recklessly” making contact with Clark’s throat. Thomas later said the contact with Clark was “a complete accident” and said she received death threats and online abuse in the aftermath of the incident.
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“I don’t even think it’s fair to (Clark) that this has become a separate storyline about (if) one foul should have been called at a time or should have been called a flagrant after the fact,” Silver continued Thursday. “Obviously, the league decided after the fact that not only should a foul have been called, but it was a flagrant foul. … 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.”
Silver didn’t mention Thomas or the response she received during his conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin.
Earlier this week, Silver was asked about Engelbert’s performance as commissioner during an NBA Summer League news conference: “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.”
Contributing: Scooby Axon
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Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adam Silver laments that Caitlin Clark has become a ‘political football’
