Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has been fined $15,000 for her comments and actions in Game 3 of the team’s WNBA semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury, according to an ESPN report.
Reeve had to be restrained in the final minutes of the Sept. 26 game in Phoenix when Lynx star Napheesa Collier suffered an ankle injury in a collision that resulted in a turnover. Reeve was ejected for confronting referees when no foul was called on the play.
In her postgame news conference, Reeve slammed the officiating crew in an expletive-filled rant, calling the WNBA’s decision to assign the referees to the game ‘malpractice.’
She was suspended by the league for Game 4, which the top-seeded Lynx lost 86-81 to end their season.
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters on Sept. 29 that she was also fined by the league for expressing her support for Reeve.
‘She made a lot of valid points,’ White said. ‘A lot of the same kind of conversations are happening. You know, it’s happening from every team, from every franchise, from every coach, from every player.’
ESPN reported that Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was also fined for her comments on the situation.
OPINION: Reeve’s suspension reeks of WNBA relatiation
The Lynx seemed poised to return to the WNBA Finals, a year after losing to the New York Liberty in five games.
Even then, Reeve was critical of the officiating, going so far as to say that the title was ‘stolen.’
But her disdain reached even greater heights in this sesaon’s semifinal round against Phoenix.
With 23.8 seconds left in a tense and back-and-forth Game 3, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas cleanly swiped the ball from Collier and scored a layup. The two players collided again on the next possession, sending the Lynx star to the floor clutching her left ankle after appearing to twist it.
Reeve revealed in her postgame remarks that her team captain ‘probably has a fracture’ as a result of the collision. Collier didn’t play in the season-ending loss.