Following the intense finish to the 2024 WNBA Finals, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve expected to face a fine for her postgame comments about the officiating in her team’s Game 5 overtime loss to the New York Liberty. Reeve, frustrated by a late-game foul call, openly accused the referees of “stealing” the game from her team. The pivotal call came with just seconds left in regulation, when a foul on the Lynx sent Liberty star Breanna Stewart to the free-throw line.
Stewart made both shots, tying the game and sending it to overtime, where the Liberty secured their first-ever WNBA championship.
Reeve didn’t hold back in her postgame press conference, fully aware that her comments might stir controversy. “I know all the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul’—bring it on, bring it on,” she said. “Because that (expletive) was stolen from us. Bring it on.” Such strong statements about officiating typically result in fines, yet the WNBA ultimately decided not to penalize Reeve.
According to ESPN, the league opted against issuing any punishment, a surprising decision given that accusations against referees often lead to disciplinary action. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello had also been vocal about her own frustrations with officiating after Game 4, when she felt her team received fewer favorable calls.
Brondello’s comments were similarly critical, yet she too escaped a fine. “I know Cheryl talked about it last time, but we got no calls today,” Brondello remarked post-Game 4. “So do I need to talk up in a press conference? Because they were getting ticky-tacks, and we went down there and got hit and got nothing.”
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Brondello continued, saying, “All we want is fair, OK? So if we are getting hit, that’s a foul… I’m one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league, but this pisses me off. Just be fair.”
The 2024 WNBA Finals were fiercely competitive, showcasing high-stakes moments that left emotions running high on both sides. However, the league’s decision not to issue fines for either Reeve or Brondello underscores a potential acknowledgment of the tensions in officiating during the Finals.
While the Liberty’s victory brought New York its first WNBA title, the close nature of the series—and the officiating calls in critical moments—left lingering frustrations and a desire for consistency that both coaches voiced passionately.
