There has been plenty of discourse over the past week on how Caitlin Clark has been treated by the rest of the WNBA thus far in her rookie season. This of course all stemmed from last weekend’s matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky when Clark was on the receiving end of a hard foul from Chennedy Carter.
Whether it is fair or not, the foul has fueled the narrative that Clark’s peers in the WNBA may be a bit envious of all of the credit she has received for growing the sport.
But this isn’t exactly a new idea when it comes to the dynamic between an up-and-coming rookie player and veterans in basketball. On a much smaller scale, former Los Angeles Lakers top draft pick Lonzo Ball was given his “welcome to the league” moment when he came up against Patrick Beverley in his NBA debut back in 2017.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver alluded to this on Thursday night when he was asked about Clark’s treatment in the WNBA in a press conference ahead of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
“It’s nothing new in basketball that there is welcome to the league moments,” said Silver. “Especially for heralded rookies. But of course I want to see Caitlin treated fairly and appropriately in the league. I would say, it seems like she can take care of herself, she’s a tough player. I look forward to watching her ongoing development in the league.”
Adam Silver on Caitlin Clark and the WNBA. pic.twitter.com/aW6tq5xEuq
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2024
Silver then specifically discussed Clark’s impact on ratings for the WNBA, saying that he believes Clark has “accelerated” a process that he claims was in progress before she got to the league.
“I would say this is very health for women’s basketball and the WNBA. It’s generating tremendous additional interest. In fairness to the other players, this didn’t just start this year. Certainly, were seeing an acceleration of it with Caitlin. This was a long time coming.”
One storyline that has also been building since the 2023 Women’s National Championship is the budding rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Again, whether its fair or not, the two have been constantly compared to one another coming out of the 2024 WNBA Draft in the same year.
Adam Silver believes that this could again be something that is good for the WNBA as they look to continue their growth in ratings.
“I don’t want to make too big of an issue about one particular play or one particular call. I think the burgeoning rivalries in professional basketball… You see rivalries among clubs but also among individual players too. I think that can ultimately be good for the sport. But at the same time, there are larger societal issues at play, there is no doubt about that. I don’t want to hide from that.”
