Speaking in a recent press conference, NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed his candid thoughts on the drama surrounding the WNBA’s biggest rookie star, Caitlin Clark. As she continues to get abused and targeted by her fellow players, Silver spoke on the importance of finding balance and ensuring that every player has a fair and honest experience.
“It’s nothing new in basketball that there are sort of welcome-to-the-league moments, especially for heralded rookies. But of course, I want to see Caitlin treated fairly and appropriately in the league. I would say that it seems like she can take care of herself, she’s a tough player. I think it may be lost on some people who are new to basketball what an incredible talent she is and so I look forward to watching her ongoing development in the league. Ultimately, I think this is very healthy for Women’s basketball and the WNBA.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says Caitlin Clark had a “welcome-to-the-league” moment but also wanted her to be treated fairly. pic.twitter.com/aeixycf3gh
— alder almo (@alderalmo) June 6, 2024
Caitlin Clark, 22, lit the college world on fire during her four seasons at Iowa. Her Stephen-Curry-like range and superstar potential has generated unprecedented interest in the WNBA but it’s also made her a major target among her peers. In just her first few games, the level of physicality and animosity toward Caitlin was seen as too much for many fans and there was a sense that there was something personal about the way they were defending her.
People were so pressed with the abuse that they called on the league itself to take action but it seems Silver is content to let them play on. In his eyes, this experience is nothing new for rookies, and it has a chance to make Caitlin even better as a player if she can get through it and overcome this overwhelming adversity.
Clark Is Unphased By Ongoing Controversy
The sharpshooter out of Iowa was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever this summer and she’s had a fine start so far with averages of 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals per game. While her shooting has been pretty rough so far (35.7% from the field) she has shown flashes of her potential already and it’s a good sign of things to come.
Regarding the conversation around how her rivals are defending, Clark says she doesn’t pay attention to social media but knows what the people are saying and is disheartened that the topics have strayed so far from the game.
“You’re still aware of it and you still see it,” said Clark. “My focus is basketball and sometimes it stinks how much the conversation is outside of basketball and not the product on the floor and the amazing players on the floor and how good they are for their teams and how great this season has been for women’s basketball.”
Spoken like a veteran, it seems Clark is a pro at handling the press and she’s not giving in to the demands of social media trolls. Instead of complaining or looking for any excuse to lighten her load, Caitlin is letting her game do the talking and she’s determined to put the focus back on the product itself.
Hopefully, she can learn to play through this stretch so she can prove to the players that she is worthy of all the media hype. Adam Silver and millions of fans around the world believe she can do it and he’s embraced the challenge every step of the way.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
