Cheryl Reeve Doesn't Deny She 'Ran Up' on Sun Players After WNBA Playoff Loss
The Minnesota Lynx took a commanding 2-1 lead over the Connecticut Sun in their WNBA Semifinals series on Friday after securing a 90-81 win.
However, that win isn't the most fascinating storyline that has surfaced about this series on Friday.
While Game 3 of the Lynx vs. Sun series was underway on Friday, The Athletic's contributors Shams Charania and Ben Pickman released an article that disclosed a strange interaction that Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve had with Sun players after Game 1 of the series.
"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," wrote the article.
"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."
Sun star Alyssa Thomas could be seen flexing and yelling toward the Sun sideline after shutting the door on Minnesota's attempted comeback moments before the game ended.
"[Reeve] '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 article continued.
NEWS: Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve confronted Connecticut Sun players near the locker room after Game 1 of the teams’ semifinals series, sources tell @ShamsCharania and @benpickman.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 5, 2024
She “ran up” on Sun players, said a source.https://t.co/08MEgIXdLt
Reeve was asked about this alleged confrontation after Game 3 and responded by saying, “It’s like the players always say, there’s really competitive people — really competitive people in the playoffs,” per SB Nation's Noa Dalzell.
Cheryl Reeve asked about the Game 1 report:
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 5, 2024
“It’s like the players always say, there’s really competitive people — really competitive people in the playoffs.” https://t.co/BX2GAqSYH6 pic.twitter.com/0LhNniVZld
When Sun coach Stephanie White was asked about this incident, she said, “I wasn’t there [when the confrontation occurred], but that was a week ago. I don’t have any comment on that,” per Dalzell.
The Athletic's article said the WNBA, "did not respond for comment on the matter. The league is aware of the incident, according to two team sources."
It sounds like there's still more layers of this strange story yet to unfold.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.