Dallas — Adam Silver, a basketball enthusiast, would have been thrilled to witness Caitlin Clark compete for the United States in the Olympics this summer in Paris.

As the Commissioner of the NBA, he knows why it didn’t take place.

A gold medal at the Olympics, she believed, would transform her life. Yes, but in unanticipated ways.
Olympic dreams for transgender swimmer Lia Thomas are shattered following a losing court struggle.

It would have been lovely to see her on the court, but from my perspective—and I’m independent from USA Basketball, somebody whose job it is to manage the NBA and ultimately the WNBA—I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, Silver said on Thursday. She is without a doubt one of the most well-liked players in the world right now. The ratings bear that out.

That was the fan speaking. Basketball executive Silver was aware of the task assigned to USA Basketball: identify the 12 women who would have the best opportunity of taking home another gold medal in the Olympics.

“My mandate differs slightly from USA Basketball’s,” stated Silver. “I work to increase the number of individuals who watch and enjoy basketball. I acknowledge that each of them performed their duties in accordance with USA Basketball’s very clear directive to field the most competitive team possible.

Clark, the league’s rookie of the month for May, is averaging 16.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.9 rebounds through her first 13 WNBA games. She is one of just two players with those stats as of Thursday; Jackie Young of Las Vegas has averages of 16.9 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds.