Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has been hit with what is being reported as a record fine by the WNBA for her behavior after Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals. Reeve will now pay the price for one of the most epic coaching crashouts of all time following her team’s 84-76 loss to the Phoenix Mercury this past Friday.
In addition to being suspended for Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals, Cheryl Reeve will now have to pay $15,000 for her comments about officiating after she went ballistic on the court over a non-call on a play that injured Lynx player Napheesa Collier. The previous publicly-released record for a fine in the WNBA was the $2,500 fine given to Diana Taurasi in 2021 for pushing a referee.
After having to be restrained by players from going after referees, Reeve appeared to curse at Mercury fans on her way off the court. Then, in her post-game press conference, Reeve blasted the state of officiating in the WNBA, dropping a couple of f-bombs along the way.
During her rant, she called “for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating,” adding that for WNBA leadership to deem the three referees “semifinal-playoff worthy” was “f—— malpractice.”
Following Cheryl Reeve’s criticism, the National Basketball Referees Association wrote on social media that the WNBA referees had made the correct call, or non-call, as the case may be.
This is NOT a foul. Thomas legally gets to the ball and knocks the ball loose prior to any contact. The leg to leg contact is incidental once the ball is clearly loose. This was correctly judged in real time as a no call as were the subsequent technical fouls. pic.twitter.com/kdImDRwsNe
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) September 27, 2025
Reeve’s assistant coaches, Eric Thibault and Rebekkah Brunson, were each also fined $500, Thibault for “inappropriate interaction with an official on the court” and Brunson for “an inappropriate social media comment directed at WNBA officials.”
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon were also fined $1,000 for comments they made in support of Cheryl Reeve’s complaints.
“I think that she made a lot of valid points,” White commented on Sunday, while Hammon said about Reeve’s remarks, “From what I heard, she did not tell a lie. She said the truth.”
Without Reeve and Napheesa Collier, the top-seeded Lynx ended up losing 86-81 to the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 after blowing a 13-point lead and were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs.