After Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve complained about the refereeing in Game 3 against the Phoenix Mercury and was penalized, two of her counterparts suffered the same fate.
Becky Hammon and Stephanie White, coaches of the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever respectively, came out in support of her after the controversy, but this led to both of them being punished.
White and Hammon, fined
After a play in which Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Napheesa Collier while the Lynx point guard fell to the ground, Cheryl stormed onto the court furious with the referees for not calling a foul, which she described as “f***ing malpractice.”
The coach was sanctioned and fined by the WNBA, causing her to miss Game 4, where Minnesota was eliminated from the playoffs. In addition, she was fined $15,000 for her comments and conduct on Friday night.
The Fever and Aces coaches supported her claims and complaints against the refereeing, something that has been talked about throughout the regular season and even more so in the playoffs.
White said Reeve “made a lot of valid points,” while Hammon said, “from what I heard, she did not tell a lie. She said the truth.” However, these words resulted in a $1,000 fine for each of the coaches.
After learning of her penalty, White shared with the press that she “got fined for supporting Cheryl, which I think is crazy.” Meanwhile, Hammon has not commented on her fine.
Meanwhile, these two coaches will face each other in Game 5 of the playoffs. The game between the Fever and the Aces will take place at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Sept 30, and the winning team will face the Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-seven series.
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