Women's Fastbreak On SI

Napheesa Collier Shows the Foul Receipts After Controversial WNBA Finals Loss

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier had photo evidence of suspect officiating during her team's WNBA Finals defeat.

Grant Young

Oct 18, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) reacts to her missed shot against the New York Liberty during the first half of game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) reacts to her missed shot against the New York Liberty during the first half of game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

You probably know by now how the WNBA Finals ended.

The New York Liberty emerged victorious over the Minnesota Lynx. However, the thrilling, evenly-matched series came with a ton of controversy regarding how Sunday's Game 5 was officiated; especially as it pertained to a suspect foul call Liberty star Breanna Stewart received that eventually sent the game into overtime.

Both Finals head coaches Cheryl Reeve and Sandy Brondello lamented the officiating throughout the playoffs, and Reeve specifically called out what she believed was an uneven amount of calls given to her best player Napheesa Collier compared to Stewart earlier on in the series.

And Collier appeared to show proof of her coach's sentiment with a few photos posted on her Instagram Monday.

Collier posted multiple photos that conveyed how poor the officiating was at times in the series, with a caption that wrote, "Gut wrenching end to an incredible season. I have loved every minute of being around this team, I love you guys sm you have made this the most incredible year 🫶🏽🫶🏽 Huge thank you to our coaches and staff, you guys are so amazing. And thanks to all the fans for supporting us this season, we’ll be back. 💙💚".

Bleacher Report reposted the three photos on their X account Monday with the caption, "The last three pictures Napheesa Collier posted on her IG after a tough Game 5 loss in the Finals 👀😭".

One shows her getting whacked in the face, while another shows the play where Stewart received a foul call despite there being minimal (if any) contact.

Regardless of whether the referees stole a championship away from the Lynx, the record books will forever state that the New York Liberty are the 2024 WNBA champions.

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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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