Adam Silver: Caitlin Clark has become ‘political football’ amid criticism about WNBA officiating

As criticism swirls about officiating in the WNBA and hard fouls against Caitlin Clark, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the chatter. He said Thursday the discussion is about more than just the referees. Silver called Clark a “political football” of sorts amid the dialogue around the WNBA. She has dealt with multiple tough fouls, including a play involving Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas when she made contact with Clark’s neck, which was not called a foul in real time. The WNBA later suspended Thomas for a game and it was upgraded to a flagrant foul. But Clark has garnered extra attention since entering the league as the No. 1 pick following a decorated career at Iowa. That high profile allowed her to build a connection with Silver, who lamented the conversation shifting to something beyond the basketball court. “I have come to know Caitlin really well,” Silver said at CNBC and Boardroom’s Game Plan Summit, via the AP. “She’s an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. She has become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it’s incredibly unfair to her. “I don’t think that issue is ultimately about officiating. It’s become political ping-pong with her. And she’s a young woman who’s trying to improve her game.” Clark has also spoken out about the officiating, saying the WNBA has to “do better” shortly after the incident with Thomas. But the conversation continued on afterward about the physicality across the league, but particularly against Clark as she goes through her third WNBA season. With that, UConn coach Geno Auriemma also addressed the dialogue earlier this month. He noted the pressure that comes with being the top pick in the draft, as well as the physical nature of the W. “When you’re the No. 1 pick, you better be ready,” Auriemma said. “Because the shit’s going to hit the fan and you’re going to have to deal with it. … But because the bandwagon and the fandom became so obsessed with the whole thing, it turned into a cause. She became the reason why white players get beat up in the WNBA and she became the reason why black players don’t get the endorsement and don’t get the agulation that white players get. “So, instead of it becoming ‘Caitlin Clark gets fouled hard.’ No shit. Every first-round draft pick gets fouled hard. Not every foul is a good foul, not every foul is a bad foul. But there are fouls that are flagrant. But that’s all they are. They are not a referendum on America.”