Reports indicate NBA Commissioner Adam Silver persuaded WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to suspend Alyssa Thomas for hitting Caitlin Clark. While the league denies Engelbert initially refused to act, the incident has sparked speculation about her leadership and remaining tenure as commissioner.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Angelbert was reportedly not planning to suspend Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for burying a fist into Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s throat during a game three weeks ago.
According to Sports Business Journal, the decision changed when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver implored to suspend the player.
Engelbert has since suspended Thomas for one game and issued a Flagrant 2 penalty, which carries a $1,000 fine.
While the original plan of not suspending Thomas was labeled as “absolutely false” by a WNBA spokesperson on Wednesday, it is reported that the intervention of Silver could be one of the signs that Engelbert is in her final season as commissioner.
Adam Silver commented on Engelbert’s status during an NBA Summer League news conference on Tuesday night:
“I think Cathy continues to do a strong job building that league. We’ll have ongoing discussions about what [her] future looks like.”
Footage of the incident:
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