LAS VEGAS -- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was not planning to suspend Alyssa Thomas for burying a fist into Caitlin Clark’s throat three weeks ago until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver implored her to reverse course and issue the discipline, multiple sources told SBJ Tuesday.
Engelbert subsequently suspended Thomas for one game and ordered a Flagrant 2 penalty that carried a $1,000 fine. While a WNBA spokesperson said Wednesday it was “absolutely false’’ that Engelbert did not originally plan to suspend Thomas, sources believe the fact Silver needed to persuade Engelbert is another sign she is likely in her final season as commissioner.
League insiders had previously told SBJ that Engelbert would probably be forced from her job sometime following this spring’s collective bargaining negotiations. But after Engelbert oversaw a historic CBA deal in March, she appeared to earn a reprieve.
Asked Tuesday night at an NBA Summer League news conference if the NBA or WNBA Board of Governors had addressed Engelbert’s “future” and whether she would stay long-term, Silver praised the league’s “tremendous progress” under her leadership, lauded the CBA and added, “I think Cathy continues to do a strong job building that league.”
But he also closed by saying, “We’ll have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like.” And based on the past week -- with U.S. House Republicans sending a letter to Engelbert threatening federal scrutiny over the bullying of Clark -- it’s conceivable Silver and the Board of Governors from both leagues will escalate a review of her status.
Silver did not address his role in the Thomas suspension Tuesday. But sources familiar with the situation said Engelbert initially believed during the evaluation process that -- because no foul was called on the court against Thomas -- a follow-up suspension seemed too steep of a discipline. Meanwhile, those same sources said Silver believed there was clear evidence of a flagrant foul, that he felt badly for Clark and told Engelbert she had to act.
A source close to Engelbert said league ref ops and basketball ops personnel commonly make recommendations after potential flagrant foul calls, and that’s what happened with the Thomas decision. Other sources close to Engelbert have said she is an unenviable position -- trying not to show favoritism toward the uber-popular Clark while also trying to appease players who believe they’ve been overshadowed by Clark. The death threats against Thomas, post-incident, are an example of what other WNBA players are dealing with.
But critics leaguewide, sources said, believe Engelbert has gone overboard not to prioritize the Fever star, and they point to the fact she has not once attended a Fever game in Indianapolis since Clark arrived three seasons ago.
In recent days, Engelbert has also been criticized for cancelling an interview, last minute, with radio host Dan Patrick, at the same time she was reportedly playing golf. That came after she was booed at Barclays Center two weeks ago while handing out the Commissioner’s Cup trophy, obvious fallout from the Clark-Thomas incident.
