The New York Liberty’s first championship win was a moment of joy, but what unfolded along with it was a protest against the calls made and missed during the final game of the series. “That s**t was stolen from us,” Cheryl Reeve didn’t hold back as she aimed at both the league’s officiating and the Liberty’s victory. Now, joining the chorus of dissent, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has also spoken out about the officiating issues recalling one specific incident from the game.

In her latest podcast episode, the former WNBA star dove into the recently concluded Finals, making it the focal point of her discussion. As she and guest Jordan Robinson analyzed Breanna Stewart’s standout performance, Swoopes couldn’t help but bring up a critical moment that not only she, but many believe the referees missed in the game’s final seconds.

“I know we people, we’re gonna talk about this forever as we should, because it was an incredible series. But Jordan, the game shouldn’t have ever gone to overtime. It’s just my opinion because Stewie? She travelled!,”  stated the Houston Comet legend. Her co-host was quick to support her and gave a nod to Swoopes’ comments saying,“She shuffled her feet.”

In the final five seconds of the game, Stewart drew a game-changing shooting foul call that had everyone talking. The Lynx even challenged the referees’ decision regarding Alanna Smith, but even after a review, the call stood firm, leaving many fans and players questioning the officiating. While that foul call was in itself a matter of controversy, Swoopes highlighted the moves that unfolded just before it was called.

Despite her love for Stewart, she continued expressing her disappointment by even taking a dig at Stewart’s travel violation and comparing it with New York Shuffle dance.  “So it’s not me like going in on Stewie. But like, how do you miss that? And it it was Jordan. But it wasn’t, it wasn’t like a little shuffle where it was like, I can see how they missed that. Like she ran without dribbling. Now, does that change the outcome of the game? Probably!” exclaimed the 4x WNBA champion. 

What makes Swoopes’ admission even more intriguing is that it comes despite her wish to see the Minnesota Lynx fall short of a championship, a desire stemming from a rivalry over championship titles.

Sheryl Swoopes never wanted Lynx to win, courtesy her loyalty to Houston Comets

This year’s Finals were set to be historic, regardless of the outcome. Had the Minnesota Lynx taken home the trophy, they would have secured their fifth championship, making them the first team to achieve that feat. This victory would have distinguished them from the select group of teams with four titles, which includes the Seattle Storm and the legendary, now-defunct Houston Comets.

As Swoopes had played nine seasons for the Comets, winning the four championships, she was not so in favor of Lynx breaking her former team’s record. “The selfish person in me was like, ‘I do not want Minnesota to be the only team with 5 championships. Nope, don’t want Minnesota to win,” mentioned Swoopes in the same episode. This selfishness led her to passive support for Liberty as she said, “Somebody gotta win. So I kind of was, like, not mad when New York won because I just did not want Minnesota to get five.”

Nevertheless, the competitiveness in her attitude didn’t let her unsee the obvious travel violation from Stewart which led to a controversial foul call. The frustration extended beyond WNBA circles, with NBA superstar LeBron James even tweeting, “I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul!” However, with the championship now secured in New York’s trophy case, these debates will do little to change the outcome. What they might do, though, is spark a wake-up call for improved officiating in the future.