NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was forced to wade into the WNBA’s Caitlin Clark controversy following the league’s chief Cathy Engelbert’s alleged hesitancy to take action, a bombshell new report has claimed.
The WNBA was rocked by scandal yet again last month when Indiana Fever star Clark – arguably the face of the league – was punched in the throat by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas during a game on June 24.
Engelbert subsequently suspended Thomas for one game and slapped her with a Flagrant 2 penalty that carried a $1,000 fine.
However, multiple sources claimed to Sports Business Journal that Engelbert initially did not intend to suspend the Mercury star for the hit on Clark.
While a WNBA spokesperson branded the claim ‘absolutely false’ per the SBJ, the insiders reportedly claimed that NBA chief Silver was forced to intervene to persuade Engelbert to reverse course.
Silver, who has been Commissioner of the NBA for over 12 years, reportedly implored his fellow league leader to issue the discipline following her initial hesitancy.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (left) reportedly had to urge Cathy Engelbert (right) to take action over the WNBA’s latest controversy
He is said to have believed that there was clear evidence of a flagrant foul on Clark, adding that he felt bad for the former No. 1 pick and urging Engelbert to act.
For her part, Engelbert reportedly felt that during the evaluation process because no foul was called on the court against Thomas, a follow-up suspension seemed ‘too steep.’
A source close to Engelbert also reportedly told SBJ that league ref ops and basketball ops personnel commonly make recommendations after potential flagrant foul calls.
Meanwhile, league insiders also believed that Silver’s intervention was another sign that this season could be Engelbert’s last in charge.
Engelbert had been afforded somewhat of a reprieve from the pressure and speculation over her future following the WNBA’s historic new Collective Bargaining Agreement earlier this year.
However, many close to the league now reportedly feel that the writing is on the wall for Engelbert, who has been Commissioner since 2019.
Silver praised the WNBA’s ‘tremendous progress’ under Engelbert’s leadership when asked during Tuesday night’s NBA Summer League news conference if the NBA or WNBA Board of Governors had addressed her long-term future.
However, he added: ‘We’ll have ongoing discussions about what [her] future looks like.’
Fever star Caitlin Clark was punched in the throat by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas
Engelbert has faced a wave of backlash in recent weeks, primarily – but not solely – over the Clark saga.
The WNBA’s lack of reaction to Thomas’ punch on Clark has sparked a firestorm directed at the player, officials and the league for what some believe is a routine failure to protect the Indiana superstar.
A group of 11 Republican lawmakers even wrote a letter to Engelbert this week demanding that the WNBA Commissioner take ‘accountability’ for the ‘multiple attacks’ on Clark.
She also faced criticism last week for cancelling an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, while playing in the celebrity golf tournament, the ACC Championship, in Lake Tahoe, despite initially agreeing to appear on the show.
Patrick had promoted the interview with the Commissioner, which had been scheduled for last Thursday, throughout the week. However, the Commissioner backed out, cancelling her appearance at the behest of the WNBA’s PR team, claimed Patrick.
Patrick said he and his producers ‘waited almost two hours’ for Engelbert, contacting the WNBA multiple times before getting a ‘feeble’ response.
However, Engelbert also finds herself in a challenging position, navigating the balance of promoting the league’s biggest star and not wanting to show preferential treatment.
An insider claimed to the Daily Mail last month that it is the jealousy of the attention Clark has commanded since she made it to the professional level that is fueling the tension in the first place.
Engelbert pulled out of a scheduled interview with Dan Patrick (pictured) in light of the incident
The league chief playing in the ACC Championship in Lake Tahoe at the time
‘Unfortunately jealousy and racism play a huge part in all of this as many believe Caitlin has been given tremendous privilege and attention not because of her play but more that she is the great white hope,’ the source said.
‘She has wanted to stay away from all of that, but that is the sentiment within the league right now that is creating all this drama.
‘There are plenty of players around the WNBA who aren’t fans of Caitlin Clark, and a lot of that stems from the attention and spotlight she received the moment she entered the league.
‘Some veterans felt she was being handed a level of recognition they spent years working for, while some of her fellow rookies and younger stars believed they deserved a similar share of the spotlight.
‘The league has largely tried to stay neutral, in part because it doesn’t want to appear as though it’s giving preferential treatment to any one player.’
