NBA commissioner Adam Silver: Hard foul on Caitlin Clark a ‘welcome to the league’ moment

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is the latest to weigh in on the treatment of Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.

Clark was on the receiving end of a hard foul from Chicago’s Chennedy Carter in the Fever’s 71-70 win over the Sky on Saturday. Carter had leveled Clark with a blindside, shoulder check on an inbound play.

The foul, which was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1 by the WNBA, sparked discourse about the treatment of Clark by league veterans and whether the WNBA is doing enough to protect her.

“I don’t want to make too big an issue on one particular player and one particular call,” Silver said ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, when asked about the foul. “But of course I want to see Caitlin (Clark) treated fairly and appropriately in the league.”

Silver didn’t get into the specifics of the foul, instead backing the discipline handed down by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, but he did say the foul on Clark is a “welcome to the league” moment.

“As a fan, it’s nothing new in basketball that there’s sort of ‘welcome to the league’ moments, especially for heralded rookies. … I will say it looks like she can take care of herself. She’s a tough player,” Silver said. “I look forward to watching her ongoing development in the league.”

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Silver said the WNBA’s “burgeoning rivalries” are ultimately “good for the sport,” but he did make note of the “larger societal issues at work … some having to do with race.”

“I think ultimately this is really healthy for women’s basketball and the WNBA,” Silver said. “It’s generating tremendous additional interest. In fairness to the other players … this didn’t just start this year. Certainly we are seeing an acceleration of it with Caitlin.”