NBA Commissioner Adam Silver just came out and said Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been turned into "a political football in this country," and he called it "incredibly unfair" to her. Seriously, the commissioner himself dropped that bomb on Thursday, July 16, at the CNBC and Boardroom's Game Plan Summit. It's not just a passing comment; this is Silver acknowledging a major problem simmering around one of the biggest stars in sports.
That Thomas Incident Is Still Wild
Remember that Mercury 111-109 win over the Fever on June 24? That's where a lot of this started. Midway through the second quarter, Clark went down, lost the ball, and then Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas landed on her. The really messed up part? Thomas pushed her fist into Clark’s throat and then stepped over her. No foul called on the play *during* the game. Fever head coach Stephanie White ripped the officials for letting "cheap shots" slide against Clark. It took a retroactive review for Thomas to get a one-game suspension for "recklessly" making contact with Clark's throat. Thomas later said it was "a complete accident" and she even got death threats and online abuse afterward. This whole thing was a mess from the jump.Silver's Dodgy Answers and the Rumor Mill
Now, Silver was asked directly if he had a hand in that Thomas suspension. He totally sidestepped it. "I'm not going to comment on that, because I don't think it's fair to Caitlin (Clark) and to Cathy Engelbert either," he said. He even called it "political ping-pong with her." But here's where it gets spicy: The Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday that WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert originally didn't intend to suspend Thomas at all, but Silver supposedly *implored* her to assess a Flagrant 2 Foul and the suspension. The WNBA, of course, fired back fast, with a spokesperson telling USA TODAY that the SBJ report is "absolutely false." Silver still wouldn't address that report directly the following day, keeping his focus on Clark, who he says he's "come to know... really well." It's a he-said-she-said situation, and it doesn't look good for anyone involved. Ultimately, Silver insisted the whole thing isn't about officiating or that specific incident. He says Clark just "wants to focus on being the best player she can." But when the head of the league says she's become a "political football," and that it's "incredibly unfair to her," you know there's more going on than just basketball. It makes you wonder what's next for Clark as she tries to navigate this season under such a massive spotlight.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.