Armed with more WNBA history, Cheryl Reeve and the Minnesota Lynx are here to stay for the past, present, and future.
Those who don't believe in Reeve and the Minnesota Lynx do so at their own risk.
Cheryl Reeve's pack was more than happy to provide a reminder on Wednesday night: with an 86-80 decision over the Connecticut Sun, Reeve set the WNBA record for most regular season wins at the helm. The narrow yet emphatic victory was the 380th of her W career, good enough to pass former Connecticut/Washington boss Mike Thibault. Her predecessor's son Eric serves as her top lieutenant on the Lynx bench.
"I appreciated how much it meant to the players to celebrate the moment," Reeve, keeping her nonchalant persona about individual accomplishments, said after the win, per Terry Horstman of The IX Sports. "It’s not lost on me how important, so many players in that locker room, the staff, just talking with [head athletic trainer Chuck Barta], our trainers, so many people that have been on this journey with me for so long. I told them, I mean, just to share with them was incredibly meaningful.
“It’s a moment in time. It’s one of those things, but to do it with people that you really, really care about, who will do anything for the team to be successful, great appreciation for them.”
Setting the all-time wins record isn't even the most recent accomplishment Reeve has on her resume: less than 24 hours after the triumph was secured, Reeve was named one of the two coaches for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. Her team will go up against one led by either Becky Hammon (Las Vegas) or Natalie Nakase (Golden State), with both squads curated by legends of the game Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon.
Lynx Level Up
One of the most futile traditions on the modern WNBA circuit has to be prophesizing the fall of the Lynx. Reeve has essentially shielded Lynx fans from learning the definition of "rebuild," missing the playoffs just twice in 16 full tours despite a healthy mix of number retirements and "thank you" posts on social media.
Minnesota has seamlessly blended the eras of Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles with that of Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams. While a fifth title has proven elusive to date, the Lynx remains well-positioned to compete for more thanks in part to Reeve's maneuvering amidst success-sinking happenings.
But the first half of the 2026 season has one of the finer showcases of Reeve's work both on the floor and at the negotiation table: while Collier continues to recover from lower body injuries sustained last season, Minnesota nonetheless continues to pace the league as the All-Star break looms. The record-breaking victory came without the services of Rookie of the Year favorite Olivia Miles as she deals with a lingering calf strain endured in last week's visit to New York.
The Lynx celebrated Cheryl Reeve after her record-breaking 380th career win 🎊
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 9, 2026
(📸 napheesa24/IG) pic.twitter.com/py0UVWDySq
"The standard of excellence [she has set], it's like a lost art almost in our league," said McBride, the leading scorer for the victors with 23 points, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN. "To be one of the coaches that has been around for so long in one franchise says a lot. I'm just super excited and happy and proud of her."
Headlining the cause are the resourceful finds of Reeve, who is known for doubling as the Lynx’s president of basketball operations. Her recent finds include the No. 2 draft pick and Rookie of the Year favorite Miles, Nia Coffey working through a career-best season, and ex-Minnesotan Natasha Howard, who will join Miles at the upcoming All-Star festivities in Chicago.
Believe in Reeve
Amidst it all, Reeve is still stunning in the department of making first impressions in year 17 at the helm.
"The way she's able to balance accountability with support, a lot of coaches can't get that right. [They show] too much of one another, and they can't do it consistently across the board," the rookie sensation Miles said prior to last Friday's game in New York. "That's not attacking anyone. A lot of coaches struggle with that balance, and she just has a knack for it. She's been in here for so long. I keep telling people I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself when she retires, because she's truly one of the best coaches, if not the best, coach that I've ever had, and it's only been what, 20 games. I can't wait to keep learning from her, and her brilliance is so special, and something I want to be a sponge among.
"Cheryl, I'm going to be real, she is just brilliant in what she does, and she understands how to use players and to their strengths," Miles continued. "You see Tash playing out of her mind. Everyone thought she was done, and she's playing her best basketball, some of the best basketball of her career. It's things like that, that Cheryl sees through in players and allows people to raise their full potential. That's kind of how we've really done it together."
The fact that Reeve is still doing the ordinary things extraordinarily has to be a dangerous prospect for anyone going after the league's 30th title. Should her Lynx prevail, a sixth of the WNBA's championship rings will reside on her fingers.
Reeve will get a chance to go for win No. 381 on Saturday when the Lynx lace up against the aforementioned Liberty (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
