The Lynx responded to their playoff loss to Phoenix with congrats to the Mercury - and then a full takedown of WNBA leadership.
At their season ending press conference Tuesday in downtown Minneapolis, there was regret they couldn't finish the job of chasing the franchise's fifth title, but it also included some fireworks from star forward Napheesa Collier after she missed Sunday's loss to Phoenix in Game 4 of the series-clinching win with a serious leg injury.
Coach Cheryl Reeve missed the game after being suspended by the league after her postgame comments following the Game 3 loss when Collier was injured with 21.8 seconds left. No foul was called on the play which infuriated Reeve.
It was Collier's turn to be angry, and she didn't mince words during the team's season ending press conference, reading from a prepared statement that is sure to turn heads in the league office.
"We have the best players in the world," said Collier. "We have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world. We serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable, and that's fine. It's professional sports. But I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level."
Collier also revealed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who she called out specifically, allegedly made some alarming comments during a conversation earlier this year about player compensation. That is an unsettled issue for a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA Players Association and the league that Collier is also involved in.
Collier wanted to know why some star players like Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings aren’t making more money on rookie contracts.
“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” Collier said. “Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’ And in that same conversation, she told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that she got them."
Engelbert released a statement through the league following Collier's comments saying she was "disheartened."
“I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA" says Engelbert. "Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league. My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players of the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game. I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.”
The comments from Collier are sure to spark a response from the WNBA, and Collier added she doesn't "care about fines."
Head Coach Cheryl Reeve softens her commentary
Coach Reeve was a little more reserved this time around and like Collier, said Phoenix deserved to win the series even if there's anger leftover from how Game 3 ended.
"We are in no way blame officiating for our shortcomings and winning the series in the semifinals," Reeve added. "Game 2, you know, was a coaching loss."
So, instead of playing for another title, vacation starts early despite having the league's best record and a number one seed heading into the postseason. And that's two straight season-enders that were painful for different reasons. The Lynx lost in Game 5 against the New York Liberty after a controversial foul call allowed New York to eventually win the game, an outcome Reeve also blasted as being "stolen" from them.
Still, Collier, who was the MVP runner-up to A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas, leaves this season proud of the team.
"It was amazing. This season, just something we've talked about for two years, is how incredible this group of people is," she said. "So, you know, obviously it was a season of a lot of highs and lows, but I would not want to go through with anyone but these people that I have behind me. It's really like a sisterhood, and you don't find that in professional sports."
Cheryl Reeve faces WNBA's largest-ever fine
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has been fined $15,000 by the WNBA for her comments and conduct after her team's Game 3 semifinal loss to the Phoenix Mercury, a person familiar with the penalty told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
The fine is believed to be the biggest for an individual coach or player in league history. The WNBA doesn't publicize the amount of fines.
Additionally, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon were fined $1,000 each for their public comments on WNBA officiating in which they defended Reeve. Hammon and White's teams face off on Tuesday night in a decisive Game 5 with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line.
The Athletic first reported the fines.
Both coaches backed up Reeve’s criticism and have been outspoken throughout the season on leaguewide officiating problems. White told reporters on Monday at Indiana’s practice that she “got fined for supporting Cheryl, which I think is crazy.”
“I think that she made a lot of valid points,” White said Sunday. “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.”
Hammon also defended Reeve.
“From what I heard, she did not tell a lie,” Hammon said before the Aces' Game 4 loss to Indiana. “She said the truth. A lot of people thought it wasn’t a foul, so let me give you an analogy. In the NFL, if you are a wide receiver, and you’re going for a ball, and the ball is going this direction, you’re going this direction, and then the defender is coming, you don’t get to run through that wide receiver to get to the ball, even though the ball is loose.”
Besides the fine, the league suspended Reeve for Game 4, which the Lynx lost and were eliminated from the playoffs. This was the first time in the history of the WNBA that a coach had been suspended for a playoff game.
“Her conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner upon her ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans when exiting the court, and remarks made in a post-game press conference,” the league said in a statement Saturday.