Cheryl Reeve Tirade Puts WNBA Officiating Crisis Under Spotlight
It appears the conversation around WNBA officiating has reached a breaking point. That after Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve lashed out at the referees in an extended tirade following her team's Game 3 playoff loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
Reeve's comments were obviously rooted in frustration, because not only did her team lose the game, but the Lynx also lost superstar Napheesa Collier in the process. Reeve was ejected from the contest amid going after the officials following a result-sealing play that saw Collier injured on a steal by Mercury star Alyssa Thomas.
Minnesota finished Game 3 without Napheesa Collier or Coach Cheryl Reeve.
— espnW (@espnW) September 27, 2025
Coach was assessed a second technical foul and ejected after Collier collided with Alyssa Thomas on this play. pic.twitter.com/6ZNGuUSXi9
In fairness to Thomas, she made a clean swipe on the ball and the contact leading to Collier's injury was seemingly incidental. So, Reeve's reaction could certainly be deemed over the top in a vacuum. However, her scorching sentiment is one that has been boiling all season.
The Lynx coach is not one to bite her tongue and she let loose on the podium postgame.
"We talked about how dangerous it can be. You're hearing it from the other series. You're hearing other coaches. You're hearing Becky [Hammon] talk about, when you let the physicality happen, people get hurt, there's fights, and this is the look that our league wants for some reason," Reeve declared.
- “This is the look our league wants.. for some reason”
— Rachel A DeMita (@RADeMita) September 27, 2025
- Napheesa Collier “probably has a fracture”
- Calls for a change in leadership at the league level
- refs that were chosen for Semi-Finals Game 3 = “f’ing malpractice”
Cheryl Reeve 🫡pic.twitter.com/go9NUN5bFa
She went on to complain that Collier shot zero free throws in the loss and revealed the Lynx star probably suffered a fracture of some sort on the play that led to Reeve's ejection. Reeve then made her strongest statement.
"I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It's bad for the game. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semi-finals playoff worthy is f***ing malpractice."
Becky Hammon and Stephanie White Align With Cheryl Reeve
The reason Reeve's comments are likely to resonate is due to the crescendo of criticism WNBA officiating has received. Reeve referenced Aces coach Becky Hammon during her tirade, and Hammon has consistently hammered the way the game is called.
"The physicality is out of control, that's for sure," Hammon declared following Tuesday night's Game 2 of her team's series against the Indiana Fever.
"I mean, you can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court. You put two hands on somebody like that, it should be an automatic foul. They have the freedom of movement, freedom of movement. There's no freedom. And I'm not saying we're not fouling too. I'm not saying that. I'm saying it's out of control," Hammon added.
"Most of my assistants come from the NBA, and they're like, 'This level of physicality would not fly in the NBA. There would be fights,'" she concluded.
Reaction from Becky Hammon, Steph White, and Lexie Hull on physicality — the focus of the postgame pressers.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) September 24, 2025
"The physicality is out of control, that's for sure," Hammon began. pic.twitter.com/xyjhiPO7wB
Those remarks were certainly not the first time Hammon sounded off on the refs, as she has previously likened the contact allowed on the perimeter in the WNBA to rugby.
Fever coach Stephanie White has also been no stranger to criticizing the officials. White's feelings were perhaps best summed up by what she said following a high profile scuffle between her squad and the Connecticut Sun on June 17.
"Everybody's getting better, except the officials," she stated plainly at the time.
Flagrant Physicality Persists in WNBA
What White was referencing focused on one of the most high profile moments of the 2025 WNBA season, a feisty affair between the Fever and Sun in which the league's biggest star, Caitlin Clark, was sent to the floor via a combination of an eye poke from Jacy Sheldon and shoulder check by Marina Mabrey.
OH HELL NO pic.twitter.com/Xqq2cbuMPV
— correlation (@nosyone4) June 18, 2025
It was this exchange that led to Sophie Cunningham standing up for Clark, gaining superstar-like notoriety as a result.
Cunningham blamed the officials for allowing the excessive physicality to get out of control, saying, “I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build up for a couple years now of them just not, not protecting the star player in the WNBA."
Sophie: “I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build up for a couple years now of them just not, not protecting the star player in the WNBA. And so at the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates, that’s what I do.” #NowYouKnow pic.twitter.com/Vq6VUkDG6e
— Jess (@FeverBandwagon) June 21, 2025
Though as we've seen, this is not an issue limited to Clark. Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum expressed frustration with the refs as well, pleading for consistency in comments made to Women's Fastbreak On SI at WNBA All-Star weekend.
"I have no problem with the physicality. I think people are frustrated with the consistency. So it's like a ticky-tack here, and then someone gets absolutely assaulted over here, and like, where's the line? And where do we call it, and why do we call it?," Plum questioned.
Kelsey Plum on WNBA officiating pic.twitter.com/ikp9tWd2uC
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 18, 2025
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Addressed Officiating
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked her thoughts on officiating as well during her All-Star press conference.
“We hear the concerns, we take that input. Every play is reviewed,” she said. Before adding that the league is indeed searching for consistency with the refereeing and declaring, "We're on it".
Engelbert stated that the officiating needs to evolve with the way the WNBA is trending, but she also alluded to how some fans prefer the lack of whistles to what they see in other leagues.
That particular sentiment would track with what Reeve articulated in saying, "This is the look that our league wants for some reason." And after the Lynx coach bluntly blasted the league and officials, it's certain that even more observers will take a closer look at how things have been called in the WNBA.
Cheryl reeve really like that 😭😭😭 bro pic.twitter.com/y8H5iOzSrx
— Janelle | Sports Data (@itsNellzz) September 27, 2025
All in all, it's safe to say the WNBA is facing an officiating crisis—and Reeve just put it under a spotlight.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!
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