SerpApi.Org
It is claimed that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had to step in and convince WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to take proper action after Caitlin Clark was involved in a massive kerfuffle.
When the Phoenix Mercury took on the Indiana Fever, star Alyssa Thomas's fist landed on Clark's throat, with Thomas suspended one game and fined for her actions. In the aftermath of the incident, many pundits, players, coaches, fans, and even lawmakers waded into the conversation to protect the WNBA's players, specifically Clark.
Now, there are conflicting reports on whether the league's decision to suspend Thomas after her fist landed on Clark was Engelbert's alone or not. The revelation comes after Sophie Cunningham told Mirror U.S. Sports that the players do not need additional outside help.
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Recently, the Sports Business Journal reported that Engelbert's decision to suspend Thomas for one game and fine her $1,000 was due to Silver. Sources told the outlet that Silver, the NBA's commissioner, had to step in and persuade her to reprimand the Mercury star.
Before the decision to suspend Thomas was made, Engelbert believed that, because no foul was called on the play, the star should not have been suspended, as it was too harsh a punishment. However, Silver disagreed and felt bad for Clark, relaying to his WNBA counterpart that she needed to make a decision.
Typically, league referee operations and basketball operations personnel make recommendations on the next course of action after potential flagrant fouls, with sources telling the outlet that this occurred after the incident between the two stars.
In light of the report, the WNBA said in a statement to Front Office Sports that the notion that Silver approached Engelbert to suspend Thomas was "absolutely false." Considering how embattled Engelbert has been over the last handful of years, there have been growing whispers regarding her job security.
When reporters asked Silver at an NBA Summer League press conference about Engelbert and the prospect of her continuing as the WNBA's commissioner, he deflected, though he praised the job she had done leading the league through unprecedented times.
“I’m very pleased with where the WNBA is," he said. "We’ve made tremendous progress under her leadership over the last several years … Cathy continues doing a strong job building that league. And we’ll have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like.”
With Engelbert's seeming inaction, Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to the WNBA, calling for the league to do a better job protecting its stars, specifically Clark.
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In response to the lawmakers' note, Cunningham said, in no uncertain terms, that she and the Fever did not need outside intervention.
"We really try to just focus on what's in the locker room," Cunningham said of the letter pregame before the Fever's loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. "You know, we take care of each other, and we're gonna let the outside world and the media do their thing, but for us, it's just getting better every single day.
"We don't need to rely on other people helping us out. We don't need to rely on the refs. I think we have enough talent to just go out there and do what we do, and so that's what we're focused on."
It remains to be seen if Engelbert will continue as the WNBA's commissioner beyond this season but considering how she has handled issues within the league, a change might be on the horizon.
