PHOENIX—The moment Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve entered the press conference room, she took the podium and immediately asked, “Who asked about the officiating before the game?”
Before the reporter could respond, Reeve sounded off on the Game 3 officiating crew between the Phoenix Mercury and the Lynx for nearly two minutes.
“One of the best players in our league shot zero free throws,” Reeve said postgame. “She had five fouls … got her shoulder pulled out, and finished the game with her leg being taken out. And probably has a fracture.”
“If this is what our league wants, ok. But 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 3 people semifinals playoff worthy, is f**king malpractice.”
In the second quarter, Reeve picked up her first technical foul of the game after Mercury players Alyssa Thomas and Sami Whitcomb double-teamed Napheesa Collier. She was upset about a no-call on Collier, who did not have a single trip to the free-throw line that game.
Cheryl Reeve Ejected Over Controversial No-Call on Collier
Two quarters later, Reeve was ejected after going to nose-to-nose with a referee following another no-call on Collier.
The Mercury led by four with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the Lynx had possession. Thomas stole the ball from Collier, who injured her left ankle and leg on the play, and both Reeve and assistant coach Eric Thibault picked up technical fouls.
Here’s the sequence of events that led to Cheryl Reeve’s second technical foul that resulted in an ejection.
— Ahmad Hicks (@AhmadHicksTV) September 27, 2025
Following the game, she called out the officiating and challenged the @WNBA to do more. @FOX9 #Lynx #WNBA #Mercury #Fouls #NapheesaCollier pic.twitter.com/7AVWGZdArG
Phoenix went on to win Game 3 of the semifinals over Minnesota, putting the Lynx on the brink of elimination Sunday.
Reeve has had a long history of public spats with WNBA officiating crews. For instance, in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, there was a similar moment where she criticized the officials following a controversial call that swung the game in the New York Liberty’s favor.
In another instance, Reeve threw her jacket during Game 2 of the 2012 WNBA Finals, nearly leading to an ejection.
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said Napheesa Collier “probably has a fracture.”
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) September 27, 2025
Reeve did not take any questions from reporters and said the referees were “fucking awful.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/BtbimmJUg7
On the flip side, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts doesn’t see an issue with the officiating crew throughout the series.
“We haven’t talked about the officiating all playoffs,” Tibbetts said. “We just play and we’re worried about us.”
The Phoenix Mercury are one win away from the WNBA Finals and will host the Minnesota Lynx Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
