The New York Liberty may have won the 2024 WNBA Finals, but it’s Cheryl Reeve dominating the headlines. Crying foul over the officials refereeing the game, the Minnesota Lynx head coach has expressed how thoroughly disappointed she is over the outcome of Game 5. And after the refs, the next in line of her fire are the main offenders: the Liberty.

In the post-game press conference, Reeve was adamant about her take that the fourth-quarter foul against Alanna Smith should have been overturned. While Breanna Stewart’s two free throws turned the game in New York’s favor, it’s hard to say if the challenge could have saved Lynx. But Reeve believed she was right and would proudly accept any vitriol thrown her way.  “I know all the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on. Right? Bring it on. Because this s— was stolen from us. Bring it on”.

But the crowning jewel of her statements was the shot she took at the New York Liberty. “I mean, congratulations to the Liberty on their first championship. How long’s the league been around? 28 years? It took them 28 years! Congrats to them,” Cheryl Reeve taunted. “We were that close to our fifth. Just didn’t happen.”

This season, the WNBA had a total prize money pool for the postseason at $500,000, per the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The winners would collectively receive $249,900, assuming the standard 12-player roster, with each player receiving a $20,825 bonus. On the other hand, the runner-ups receive a $7,746 bonus, totaling $92,952 for the whole team. But for Reeve and her players, this loss of $156,948 is probably not what pinches them the most.

The Commissioner’s Cup, with the same $500,000 pool, gives the entire prize money to the winning team rather than dividing it among multiple teams. But even if this amount was ‘stolen’, the glory of a record-breaking 5th championship trophy probably hurt more.

Cheryl Reeve stated how proud she was of her team and handling things the ‘right’ way. She might have been implying that the game was rigged since the refs gave the advantage to the home team. But whether or not that was true, basketball stars from around the pro leagues joined the foul call conversation.

LeBron James supports Cheryl Reeve’s challenge on the ref’s call

Calling it at best a ‘marginal contact,’ much of the NBA and WNBA world took Cheryl Reeve’s side in this controversy. While the losing team would be expected to make some sour remarks, many thought her points had a grain of truth to them. Reeve, and even Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, have been complaining about the refereeing in the WNBA postseason since it started.

But last night, even LeBron James came to the Lynx coach’s rescue on X, “I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game.” Retired champion Candace Parker also said, “Was that reviewed foul call a foul? I don’t think it was. That call didn’t lose the game but boy it [woulda] prolly won it for Minny if it was overturned.”

The furious Cheryl Reeve will not so easily agree with everything that has gone down in the game in this last week. While some may say that it’s a case of sour grapes, the head coach is staying firm in her belief – her team did everything they could to win and they had the talent. But the Liberty came in wrongly and stole the title from under their noses.