The WNBA playoffs keep bringing drama, but this week’s officiating firestorm takes the cake. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve unleashed a postgame tirade after her team’s Game 3 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
That fiery rant resulted in an instant ejection and a one-game suspension later on. However, the outcome sparked a wave of support from fellow coaches, including Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon and Indiana Fever’s Stephanie White. Now the league has slapped fines on those backers too, handing out $1,000 penalties to each.
Becky Hammon, Stephanie White Fined $1,000 Each For Supporting Cheryl Reeve
While the brutal injury to Napheesa Collier after crashing with Alyssa Thomas got all the attention, Reeve’s outburst stemmed from a controversial late play. Reeve charged the court, got tossed, and kept venting at fans and in her presser.
However, Reeve’s bold stand didn’t fade quietly, and her peers jumped in with vocal backing that caught the league’s eye. Hammon and White, steering rival teams in a tied semifinal, still showed support and spoke out before their own Game 4. The duo channeled Reeve’s gripes on physicality and inconsistent whistles only to prompt the WNBA fining each $1,000 for what it deemed public criticism of officials.
White laid it out plainly during her Sunday presser, calling Reeve’s points “valid” and stressing a need for accountability across the board. She noted these talks echo in every locker room, from coaches to players, and lamented how officiating lags while the rest of the league surges.
“I think that she made a lot of valid points. A lot of the same kind of conversations are happening. It’s happening from every team, from every franchise, from every coach, from every player. And I think at some point there has to be some accountability,” White said.
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LATEST: Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve suspended for Game 4, fined $15K for ref criticism after Collier injury. Later, WNBA fined White & Hammon $1K each for supporting Reeve, per @alexaphilippou
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Interestingly, this marks her third fine this season for remarks related to referees, while Reeve continues to push boundaries despite the cost.
Additionally, Hammon also matched that fire, saying, “From what I heard, (Reeve) did not tell a lie. She said the truth.”
Does A $15k Fine Make Any Dent On Cheryl Reeve’s Income?
There has been league-wide unrest after the league decided to hand a harsh punishment to Reeve. However, does it really pinch for a coach earning top dollar in the WNBA?
Reports peg Reeve’s salary at around $700,000 annually, making her one of the league’s highest-paid bench bosses. That fine equates to just over 2% of her yearly haul, a notable but hardly career-altering deduction.
Additionally, Sportico’s Jacob Feldman highlighted her spot among the elite in October 2024, and Front Office Sports noted that she’s in the upper slab, though trailing a few like Phoenix’s Nate Tibbetts and Hammon, both north of $1 million.
LA Sparks’ Lynne Roberts pulls about $709,500 base plus up to $305,000 in bonuses. So it won’t bother the fiery coach to some extent, as far as she’s speaking out for her players.