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WNBA Announces Punishment for Lynx's Cheryl Reeve for Blasting Referees

The WNBA announced Cheryl Reeve's fine for her Game 3 outburst, in addition to two fines for fellow coaches who showed support for Reeve's comments

Will Despart

Sep 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is held back after being ejected during game three against the Phoenix Mercury of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Sep 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is held back after being ejected during game three against the Phoenix Mercury of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The WNBA already punished Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve for her viral outburst at the end of Game 3 by suspending her for what turned out to be a season-ending Game 4 loss for the Lynx, but they laid the hammer down even further on Monday by announcing a $15,000 fine for Reeve, which is the league record for an individual on-court infraction.

In addition to Reeve's fine, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon were fined $1,000 each for publicly defending Reeve's postgame comments towards the officiating. While White and Hammon's fines are controversial in their own right, the fact that Reeve was fined 15 times that for her behavior underscores just how hefty the punishment was for scale.

"I mean, I think that she made a lot of valid points," White said. "You know, a lot of the same kind of conversations are happening, it's happening from every team, from every franchise, from every coach, from every player. And I think at some point, there has to be some accountability."

Some fans found it surprising that Hammon came to Reeve's defense, considering the fact that the coaches share a heated coaching rivalry that has resulted in more than a few verbal exchanges between the two. Hammon, however, is no stranger to levying criticism toward the officials when she deems it appropriate.

Hammon's Defense

"From what I heard, she did not tell a lie,” Hammon said. “She said the truth. A lot of people thought it wasn't a foul, so let me give you an analogy. In the NFL, if you are a wide receiver and you're going for a ball, and the ball is going this direction, you're going this direction, and then the defender is coming, you don't get to run through that wide receiver to get to the ball, even though the ball is loose."

Hammon further explained her position on why she believed it was a foul, although she was sure to make it clear that she didn't believe Alyssa Thomas was purposely trying to injure Napheesa Collier or even make contact with her on the play.

“Even though all these people are coming out saying it's a foul, it's not a foul … I thought it was a foul,” Hammon said. “Not because she tipped the ball out clean, but if that ball was just sitting there, and I was between, I don't get to run through that player to get to the ball.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve
Sep 23, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve in the second half against the Phoenix Mercury during game two of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Even though Hammon and others came to Reeve's defense, it was all for naught at the end of the day. Cheryl Reeve was fined, suspended, and her team was ultimately eliminated early from the WNBA Playoffs.

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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