NBA Commissioner Adam Silver broke his silence on the Caitlin Clark-WNBA controversy, weighing in on Chennedy Carter’s tough call on the Indiana Fever star.
Speaking before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, Silver, 61, had no opinion on Carter’s body check on Clark, a play that has been analyzed in countless ways at countless parties since the game. Saturday between the Fever and Chicago Sky.
Talk exploded over the weekend when Carter delivered a blow to Clark’s shoulder that knocked the Fever star to the ground before an incoming pass during the third quarter. The WNBA later upgraded the common foul to flagrant upon review.
“As a fan, obviously, it’s nothing new in basketball that there are welcome moments to the league, especially for heralded rookies,” Silver said.
“But of course I want Caitlin to be treated fairly and appropriately in the league. I would say she looks like she can take care of herself…she’s a tough player.”
NBA Commander Adam Silver said he wants Caitlin Clark to be treated “fairly and appropriately” in the WNBA amid talk of hard fouls against the Fever guard and her race.
Chennedy Carter brutally hit Clark on the shoulder during the Fever-Sky game on Saturday.
Silver went on to call Clark “an incredible talent” and says all the attention she helps bring is good for women’s basketball, while noting that the growth of the women’s game’s fan base didn’t start now either.
He also said it can’t be ignored that there are “bigger social issues at play…some that have to do with race” when talking about the attention Clark generates and how it is received.
“Historically, sports have been a platform for people to speak directly about these issues,” Silver said.
“I don’t think we should hide from them and I think the players are happy to address these issues.”
Carter received heavy criticism for his foul on Clark during Chicago’s loss to Indiana, and the Sky guard appeared to yell “bitch” 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.
Teammate Angel Reese appeared to have celebrated the postgame push, despite their 71-70 loss that night, sparking 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, while calling on the point guard’s Fever teammates to step up. forward and offer better protection. the future.
Lieberman went on to point out that hockey great Wayne Gretzky and NBA legend Michael Jordan always had enforcers protecting them on their respective fields, insisting that Clark needs similar help on the court for the Fever.
However, others, like Whoopi Goldberg, have jumped to Carter’s defense. The star of sight implored viewers to “get over (themselves)” and accept that WNBA players are “athletes.”
Days after her body check on Clark, Carter was ‘harassed’ at Sky’s Hotel in Washington DC
‘Let’s be real, okay? This is basketball, okay? This happens all the time in basketball. Angel Reese had his clothes hung out the other day,” Goldberg said.
‘This is: “Get out of the way or I’ll move you.” That’s the game… However, many people interpret this as a confrontation. But this is not confrontation,’ he insisted.
On Wednesday, Carter was attacked in Washington. DC by a man, who was not a hotel guest, when the Sky arrived before their road game against the Mystics on Thursday.
Angel Reese and Carter’s other Sky teammates spoke furiously after the incident on social media, calling for better safety measures by the WNBA on social media.