The NBA Finals are no exception to the phenomenon of Caitlin Clark.

That became apparent when league commissioner Adam Silver was asked about the rookie’s tough first month in the WNBA, including a probe into Chennedy Carter’s cheap shot on Clark, at a press conference ahead of Game 1 between the Celtics and Mavericks on Thursday.

Silver is not the first public figure to weigh in on Clark’s inaugural season up to this point—Charles Barkley recently voiced his support for the Fever guard, while Pat McAfee made some unseemly comments about Clark on his show in early June.

Nevertheless, Silver remained even-keeled in his response, voicing the need for fair treatment of Clark while considering the physicality of the league. He also recognized that the league’s success extends beyond Clark.

Here’s everything you need to know about Silver’s comments about Clark’s impact on the WNBA.

What did Adam Silver say about Caitlin Clark?

When asked about his reaction to the “hard foul” Clark took last week, Silver deflected any specific comments to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. However, he did speak briefly about the moment and Clark’s ability to overcome any hardships she’s faced in the first month of the season.

“Other than as a fan, obviously, it’s nothing new in basketball that there’s 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,” Silver said before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

“I would say it seems like she can take care of herself,” he added. “She’s a tough player. I think it may be lost on some people that are new to basketball, in terms of a little bit of controversy in the WNBA, what an incredible talent she is: two Final Fours, leading scorer in the history of college basketball. I look forward to watching her ongoing development in the league.”

Silver also touched on the cultural impact the WNBA is making at the moment, a nod toward the myriad of debates surrounding the Clark-Carter foul and budding rivalries like that of Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese. He also mentioned the league’s success is not solely due to figures like Clark and Reese, but also those that came before them.

“I think ultimately this is very healthy for women’s basketball and the WNBA. It’s generating tremendous additional interest,” Silver said. “In fairness to the other players and in fairness to Commissioner [Cathy] Engelbert, this didn’t just start this year. Certainly we’re seeing an acceleration of it with Caitlin, but many individual stars who came in this league in the last several years.”

Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter foul reaction

Silver’s comments, among others, come less than a week after Clark was checked in the back by Carter before an inbounds pass. Here’s a look at the controversial play.

While Carter’s Sky teammates, including Reese, applauded the push, she was whistled for a common foul. It was reviewed to see if it met the criteria for a Flagrant 1 foul — which would have given Indiana two foul shots and the ball — but the officials did not upgrade it.

After the game, Clark made sure to address the incident.

“That’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said. “But gotta play through it.”

Carter declined to speak about Clark during the postgame press conference, saying she “ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.” Nonetheless, she took to social media to express her thoughts on the rookie in her response to a post.

“Beside 3-point shooting, what else does she bring to the table, man?” Carter wrote of Clark, followed by a laughing emoji.

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon released a statement Monday saying she talked to Carter about the foul.

“Physical play, intensity, and a competitive spirit are hallmarks of Chicago Sky basketball,” Weatherspoon said in the statement. “Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are. Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, nd she will learn from this, as we all will.”

She added: “As a team, we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners.”

Caitlin Clark stats

Despite the woes of the 2-9 Fever and the target on her back, Clark managed to pick up the first Rookie of the Month award of the season. Nevertheless, though she’s top-20 in the league in points per game, she’s first in the league in turnovers, pointing out an obvious area of improvement exposed by the league’s difficulty.

Here’s a look at some of her stats up until this point in the season.

Caitlin Clark 2024 WNBA stats per game

Games played: 11
Points: 15.6
Rebounds: 5.1
Assists: 6.4
Blocks: 1.0
Steals: 1.3
Turnovers: 5.4
FG%: 35.7%
3PT%: 29.7%

Caitlin Clark 2024 WNBA season totals

Games played: 11
Points: 172
Rebounds: 56
Assists: 70
Blocks: 11
Steals: 14
Turnovers: 59
FGs: 51-143
3PTs: 27-91