NEW YORK \u2014 NBA commissioner Adam Silver did not mince words Thursday when asked about the now-infamous play between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, the issues around Caitlin Clark are not largely about officiating,\u201d Silver said while speaking on a panel at the CNBC\/Boardroom Game Plan event Thursday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called at the time of the game or whether that was ultimately a flagrant non-review. I\u2019ve come to know Caitlin really well. She\u2019s an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. And she\u2019s become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it\u2019s incredibly unfair to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The play Silver referenced<\/a> occurred during a game between the Fever and the Mercury on June 24. In the second quarter of the Mercury\u2019s 111-109 win over the Fever, Thomas pushed a closed fist into Clark\u2019s neck as Thomas attempted to stand up during a loose-ball play. The Fever appealed the play, and after reviewing it, the WNBA retroactively issued Thomas a flagrant 2 and announced a one-game suspension.<\/p>\n “The WNBA needs to do a better job of protecting their players”<\/p>\n The Sports Business Journal reported<\/a> that Silver pushed WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to issue the suspension. Silver did not deny the accuracy of the report when pressed about it onstage, but instead said he would not comment because he didn\u2019t think it was fair to Clark or Engelbert.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat people are trying to make a larger issue (about) is not (whether) that was a flagrant foul or not,\u201d Silver said.<\/p>\n Thomas said she was made aware of her suspension roughly 10 minutes before the news was shared on social media. She said death threats, as well as a myriad of harassment and racial slurs, were sent to her and her family in\u00a0the aftermath of that game<\/a>.<\/p>\n Officiating has been a pain point for the WNBA for years, but it\u2019s reached heightened levels since Clark entered the league in 2024. The level of physicality was such an issue that some coaches wondered if a directive had come down from WNBA leadership to allow for more physicality.<\/p>\n Silver acknowledged plainly that there\u2019s \u201cno doubt\u201d the league needs to improve its officiating.<\/p>\n Steps were taken this offseason to do just that, including establishing a task force<\/a> composed of eight general managers and coaches. The group met during the offseason and developed a list of priorities, including calling illegal contact, enforcing the defensive three-second rule and establishing a clear line between legal and illegal contact. Long-time WNBA official Eric Brewton was also hired for a newly created advisor position.<\/p>\n