Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, the four-time WNBA Coach of the Year and four-time champion, confronted Connecticut Sun players near the locker room Sunday after Game 1 of the teams’ semifinals series, league sources said.
Reeve’s altercation with Sun players occurred as they walked to the opponent’s locker room in Minneapolis, with the 2024 Coach and Executive of the Year taking issue with how Connecticut celebrated its series-opening victory, the sources said.
She “ran up” on Sun players, as one source briefed on the incident described, and arena security needed to get involved to defuse the scene.
The WNBA did not respond for comment on the matter. The league is aware of the incident, according to two team sources.
The Athletic also reached out to the Lynx and Sun for comment.
Game 1 of the Lynx-Sun series came down to the final possession with Minnesota star Napheesa Collier missing a potential game-tying 3-pointer with a second remaining in the contest. As it ended, Connecticut star Alyssa Thomas flexed, yelled and marched toward her team’s sideline basking in the victory.
Thomas ended one assist short of a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Connecticut’s win.
“We had to be disruptive,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said after Game 1. “We had to try to force them into uncomfortable shots and understand that they’re going to make uncomfortable shots, and when they did, we didn’t let that get us down.”
Through two games, the series has featured plenty of chippiness between the two teams, whose regular-season meetings were decided by a combined four points. At one point in the second game, Sun guard Marina Mabrey collided with Lynx guard Bridget Carleton early in the second quarter to draw a foul, sticking her foot out to trip Carleton.
Later in the second quarter, Mabrey dove for a loose ball and landed on top of Collier, who pushed Mabrey away. Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen then stepped in for Collier, shoving Mabrey aside. Minnesota guard Kayla McBride later drew a technical in Game 2 after taunting Mabrey following a made basket.
“We had an aggression about us that was necessary,” Reeve said after Minensota’s 77-70 Game 2 victory. “When you play these guys, you have to be physically and mentally tough, because they sure are.”
Game 3 began Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Connecticut with the series tied at 1-1.
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
