NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has broken his silence on the Caitlin Clark-WNBA controversy, addressing Chennedy Carter’s hard foul on the Indiana Fever star.
Speaking ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, the 61-year-old Silver refrained from giving a personal opinion on Carter’s bodycheck on Clark. The play, which occurred during Saturday’s game between the Fever and the Chicago Sky, has sparked widespread debate. Carter’s shoulder shot knocked Clark to the floor before an inbound pass in the third quarter. The WNBA later upgraded the common foul to a flagrant-one upon review.
“As a fan, obviously, it’s nothing new in basketball that there are sort of welcome-to-the-league moments, especially for heralded rookies,” Silver said.
“But of course, I want to see Caitlin treated fairly and appropriately in the league. I would say, it seems like she can take care of herself… she’s a tough player.”
NBA Comm’r Adam Silver said he wants to see Caitlin Clark treated ‘fairly and appropriately’ in the WNBA amid conversations about hard fouls on the Fever guard and her race
Chennedy Carter gave a brutal shoulder shot to Clark during the Fever-Sky game on Saturday
Silver went on to call Clark “an incredible talent” and said all the attention she brings is good for women’s basketball, noting that the growth of the fan base for the women’s game didn’t start just now.
He also mentioned that it can’t be ignored there are “larger societal issues at work… some having to do with race” when discussing the attention Clark generates and how that is received.
“Sports, historically, has been a platform for people to talk directly about these issues,” Silver said. “I don’t think we should hide from them, and I think the players are happy to engage about these issues.”
Carter drew heavy criticism for her foul on Clark during Chicago’s defeat to Indiana, with the Sky guard appearing to yell “you b***h” before shoving the Fever rookie to the ground.
Carter’s teammate Angel Reese was criticized on social media for celebrating the hard foul on Clark
Her teammate Angel Reese seemed to have celebrated the shove after the game, despite their 71-70 loss, which sparked outrage on social media.
Days later, during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back,” basketball legend Nancy Lieberman admitted she would have reacted more violently to the body check than Clark did. She also called on the Fever to offer better protection for Clark in the future.
Lieberman pointed out that hockey great Wayne Gretzky and NBA legend Michael Jordan always had enforcers protecting them, insisting that Clark needs similar support on the court.
However, others, such as Whoopi Goldberg, have defended Carter. The View star implored viewers to “get over [themselves]” and accept that WNBA players are “athletes.”
Days after her bodycheck on Clark, Carter was ‘harassed’ at the Sky’s hotel in Washington DC
‘Let’s be realistic, OK? This is basketball, OK? This happens in basketball all the time. Angel Reese got clotheslined the other day,’ Goldberg said.
“This is, ‘Get out the way or I’mma move you.’ That’s what the game is… A lot of people, however, are reading this as confrontation. But this is not confrontation,” she insisted.
On Wednesday, Carter was targeted in Washington, D.C., by a man who was not a guest at the hotel where the Sky were staying ahead of their road game against the Mystics on Thursday.
Angel Reese and other Sky teammates furiously spoke out after the incident on social media, calling for better security measures from the WNBA.
