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Mercury’s Kahleah Copper Rips Referees in WNBA Finals In-Game Interview During Loss

Stephen Douglas

Kahleah Copper was not impressed with the officials’ performance in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.
Kahleah Copper was not impressed with the officials’ performance in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. / @TSN_Sport
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The Mercury came into Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals facing elimination and then the Aces jumped out to a big first half lead and star Alyssa Thomas suffered another injury. And then Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts got ejected for arguing a call.

Phoenix was straight up not having a great time so you can understand why Kahleah Copper may have let her frustration show during an in-game interview with Holly Rowe. Copper spoke to Rowe between the third and fourth quarters and was asked about tempers starting to flare.

Copper first said that this is what the Finals are about before saying the thing she's not supposed to say.

"I think the refs aren't doing a good job tonight. I'm sorry," said Copper. "But we're just trying to keep our heads. Keep our heads and just try to chip away."

The WNBA referees have been under fire this season and there has been plenty of complaining, but that's been during the flow of the game or press conferences. A player saying it out loud, live on national television during the WNBA Finals is not something the league wants to see and Cooper will probably be fined for this line.

The Aces went on to win the game and sweep the Mercury.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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