Women's Fastbreak On SI

Cheryl Reeve Doesn't Deny She 'Ran Up' on Sun Players After WNBA Playoff Loss

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve seemed to admit guilt about a strange report of her confronting opposing players after suffering a playoff loss last week.

Grant Young

Oct 4, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve reacts during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game three of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve reacts during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game three of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

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.

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.

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.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

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