Why Was Cheryl Reeve Suspended? Full Story Ahead of Lynx’s Semifinal Game 4 vs Mercury

In the aftermath of Game 3 of the Semi-Finals matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury, netizens wrote comments like “Cheryl boutta get suspended bro”, “@WNBA suspend Cheryl Reeve for the rest of the Year”. Kudos to those who called it out since, as of a few hours ago, Cheryl Reeve has been suspended for one game. Additionally, Reeve, along with assistant coaches Eric Thibault and Rebekkah Brunson, has also been fined.

It ain’t that easy to forget about the events that led to this issue. However, if you’re still curious to know why, read on to find out.

Why did Cheryl Reeve get ejected from the game?

In the official statement released by the WNBA, Cheryl Reeve was suspended “for her conduct and comments during and following the Lynx’s 84-76 loss to the Mercury”. The same is what led to her ejection from the closing minutes of Game 2 as well, as the coach couldn’t keep her anger contained following doubts over a foul call not given. She laid her frustrations out on a referee and faced the consequences.

THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON WTFFFFFFF CHERYL REEVE EJECTED pic.twitter.com/8yE1rMJnIq

— Shabazz (@ShowCaseShabazz) September 27, 2025

Cheryl Reeve tried to explain herself during the postgame presser. She questioned the league’s officiating leadership, pointing to consistency issues. She took inspiration from Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who had said the league’s “physicality is out of control”, and stated that “The officiating crew that we have tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worthy is f—ing malpractice. I can take an L with the best of ’em. I don’t think we should’ve had to play through more than they did”. Her frustrations against the officiating was clear, as she further added, “I think it’s f—ing crap. And all of (the refs) tonight, ‘It wasn’t my call. I don’t know. I didn’t have that. I didn’t see it though.’ F—ing awful.”

What really happened in Game 3?

During Game 3, things got heated up in the final seconds. In a now viral clip, Alyssa Thomas was seen stealing the ball from Napheesa Collier near the Lynx’s three-point line and converting it into a layup. but not without controversy. While doing so, Thomas’s lower body collided with Collier’s left knee, which caused the latter’s ankle to roll. The play sparked frustration from Cheryl Reeve after the Phoenix Mercury star was not given a foul. Reeve stormed to a referee after the layup. As the referee walked away, Reeve was on his tail, protesting the decision not to give a foul to Thomas. Natisha Hiedeman and a few members of the coaching staff had to rush to Reeve to separate her from the official. Even as they did so, the Lynx head coach was ejected from the game with 21.8 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter.

The improper “conduct and comments” didn’t stop there. As Reeve was heading to the locker room, with her coaching staff members by her side, the coach was reportedly seen saying, “F-ck you” to one of the fans. She shouted it out to another spectator later as well. Some fans reciprocated by swearing as well.

this is frying me she saying fuck you to the crowd on her way out pic.twitter.com/l9J1tG91mJ

— correlation (@nosyone4) September 27, 2025

This is a developing story.

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