The season-long discussion about officiating in the WNBA may have reached a point of no return in Phoenix last night, as a visibly angry and frustrated Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected from the game after charging toward referees. Reeve, who had to be held back by her assistant coaches and by players, was infuriated after Napheesa Collier was injured after a steal by Alyssa Thomas.
Reeve had no problem addressing the incident in the postgame press conference. "We talked about how dangerous it can be. You're hearing it from the other series. You're hearing other coaches. You're hearing Becky [Hammon] talk about, when you let the physicality happen, people get hurt, there's fights, and this is the look that our league wants for some reason," she told reporters. And that's true — players, coaches, and fans have had concerns about officiating all season, and those concerns have not been completely addressed by league leadership.
That was a point Reeve didn't hesitate to make. She added: "I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It's bad for the game. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semi-finals playoff worthy is f***ing malpractice."
Cheryl Reeve isn't the only coach who has called out officials
Reeve is far from the only coach who has expressed frustration with game officials this season. In August the Chicago Sky's Tyler Marsh appeared on the brink of hitting a referee after a foul went uncalled. During a game against the Mystics, Marsh stormed toward the official in question with an arm raised, and for a brief moment many fans (and probably players on the floor) worried the situation could escalate further.
Marsh was soon restrained by security (and even Angel Reese) and escorted from the floor. The official in question admitted after the game that refs "did not see illegal contact" during the game, but once the moment was reviewed "there was contact that should have been called."
After the Aces' game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, September 23, coach Becky Hammon noted, "The physicality is out of control, that's for sure" before she added, "I mean, you can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court. You put two hands on somebody like that, it should be an automatic foul."
The Fever's Stephanie White has also frequently called out struggles with refs this season, though ahead of the team's third game against the Aces Friday night she joked she didn't want to say anything that could jeopardize "my money." White then made a pointed suggestion: "I think they should take all those officiating fines and put it back into the program."