Cheryl Reave Breaks Silence on Brutal WNBA Punishment After Lynx Elimination

The Minnesota Lynx head coach opened up about her suspension and fine from the WNBA.

Aug 2, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve looks on in the third quarter of their game against the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx's historic 2025 season ended in disaster. After tying the record for most wins in a regular season with their 34-10 record, the Lynx went into the playoffs with lofty expectations to win it all.

However, the Lynx faced the end of their road much sooner than expected, losing in the semifinals to the Phoenix Mercury. However, it is not only that they lost, but also how they lost. At the end of Game 3, Napheesa Collier went down with an injury after colliding with Alyssa Thomas, and after the referees did not call a foul, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve completely lost it.

Reeve stormed the court to get in the face of an official before being quickly ejected and having to be escorted back into the tunnel. Then, her post-game comments were just as fiery.

“I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating.”

Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve responded to the officiating in Game 3 of the Lynx-Mercury WNBA Semifinal. pic.twitter.com/xuyfxmyqLa

— ESPN (@espn) September 27, 2025

Reeve called it "f-----g malpractice " that the WNBA chose that group of officials for their game and called for a change of leadership in the league office, which ultimately resulted in a hefty fine, and she was handed a suspension for their win-or-go-home Game 4.

So, the Lynx had to play with Collier due to her ankle injury and Reeve due to her suspension in Game 4, which ultimately ended their season with a loss.

Reeve talks about her punishment

Sep 6, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve coaches her team against the Golden State Valkyries in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

In her exit interview following their season-ending playoff loss, Reeve opened up about the incident and her punishment for the first time. Reeve was asked what the aftermath was like, having to watch her team lose in Game 4 from afar.

"Obviously, not easy. That's probably an understatement, I think," Reeve said. "The leadership makes their decisions. An unprecedented response. Those are things you can't anticipate in the moment. I think for me, being a principled person, there are things I care deeply about. And that's my players' health and safety. That's the fairness to our organization. And when those things are challenged, if I'm not going to speak up, who's going to?"

Of course, in the moment, Reeve was doing the right thing. She was upset at the WNBA, and she used her platform of a postgame presser to express her frustrations and try to make changes, similar to what Napheesa Collier did in her exit interview on Tuesday.

"I wish I was with the team in the last game, but obviously not. So it was hard. Really hard," Reeve continued. "I was proud of them. Really proud of them... I felt bad that I wasn't actually in the trenches with them."

Reeve was certainly not expecting to receive the largest fine in WNBA history and a suspension for a vital playoff game, but she will likely accept that punishment to further prove the point of her and Collier. The WNBA is in a bad place heading into this offseason, and the league needs voices like Reeve and Collier.

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