NBA commissioner Adam Silver made it clear there are no shortcuts for Caitlin Clark at the pro level, but he’s imploring everyone to give her room to adapt.
The Fever rookie has been at the center of attention — and heated debates about how her star power has impacted the WNBA and its players — since Indiana selected the Iowa product with the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
“I think Caitlin [Clark] knows, she’s ultimately got to prove it on the floor, and you can’t anoint stars in this league,” Silver said during an appearance on ESPN’s pre-game show, “NBA Countdown,” before the Celtics’ Game 3 win over the Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
“.. I believe she’s going to deliver. She seems to have the character and the drive and the will and the talent. But let her evolve as a player. I want to take the pressure off her, not put more pressure on her.”
The conversation began when ESPN host Malika Andrews asked Silver about balancing the power of a singular star, Clark, in tandem with the current rapid growth of the WNBA.
Clark’s star power began at Iowa, where she became the NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer for men’s and women’s basketball in her senior year.
The Iowa native led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back NCAA title games but came up short both times — in 2023 to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers, and then this year to Kamilla Cardoso and the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Clark’s celebrity has helped boost viewership and revenue for the WNBA, which opened the 2024 season with its highest attendance in 26 years and the most-watched games ever on national TV, the league said in a press release.
However, the 22-year-old rookie has experienced plenty of welcome-to-the-league moments, including hard fouls, trash talk and mass attention.
Debates about whether WNBA players are bullying Clark because they’re jealous have filled the airwaves and fans have discussed the same topic on social media.
Clark’s omission from the 2024 Olympics team has prompted a tidal wave of polarizing reactions.
Many believed Clark should have made the team to attract more viewers and boost marketing at the Paris Games.
However, others thought Clark wasn’t yet good enough to nudge one of the 12 chosen players off of the roster.
Selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti explained in a statement on Tuesday that the decision came down to basketball criteria and forming the best team to compete for an eighth straight gold medal for the Americans — and not the fame and attention Clark would bring to the games this summer.
Clark said she’s focused on her rookie campaign with the Fever, who fell to 3-11 on the season after an 89-72 loss to the Sun on Monday.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will begin on July 26 and run through August 11.