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Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve reportedly “ran up” on Sun players near the locker room after Game 1, The Athletic reported on Friday night.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A chippy playoff series between the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx just got even more interesting. The Athletic reported that after the Sun defeated the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA semi-finals, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve confronted Sun players near their locker room:
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.
She “ran up” on Sun players, as one source briefed on the incident described, and arena security needed to get involved to defuse the scene.
No players or coaches have publicly commented on the altercation, but The Athletic reported that the league is aware of the incident.
Reeve is one of the most decorated coaches in the WNBA — she’s coached the Lynx to 4 WNBA championships, and was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2024. She also coached the U.S. women’s basketball team to a gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
It’s been a chippy series between the Sun and the Lynx so far — though outside of this report, it’s all been confined to the court.
Courtney Williams and Marina Mabrey — former teammates — were jawing at one another during Game 2, though Williams said at shootaround that it was all in good fun.
“That’s my dawg now,” Williams said of Mabrey at Friday’s shootaround, noting that she regularly trash talks, even in practice.
“Like, I don’t really get mad when I trash talk,” Williams said. “Some people trash talking — they be mad, out there playing mad. I trash talk, I’m still smiling and happy, so there’s different levels. Some people take themselves out of games when they start trash talking.”
The Lynx responded to the Game 1 loss with a win on Tuesday, and Reeve praised her team’s physicality and aggression after that one.
This story will be updated as more details become available.
