Cheryl Reeve is one of the most thoughtful leaders in the WNBA. Her knack for delicate yet strong commentary on complex subjects was on full display just last week, when she stood up for trans kids and engaged in a conversation with Sophie Cunningham about her opposing stance.
But when it comes to ball, the Hall of Fame head coach of the Minnesota Lynx has absolutely zero tolerance for bad defense. And she showed the range of her leadership styles in a press conference for the ages on Thursday night, Aug. 6.
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The Lynx (25-7) hosted the Los Angeles Sparks (12-18) and delivered a dud before the Target Center crowd in an 89-82 loss. Afterward, Reeve ripped her team to shreds.
The first question was about the Sparks holding the Lynx scoreless for the final five minutes of the game.
“Yeah, let’s talk about our offense. Is that what we’re going to do?” Reeve said sarcastically. “Let’s talk about our offense. We lost our game because we don’t play any f*cking defense. So, if you want to talk about offense, you sound like the players.”
Reeve cited the Lynx allowing 46 points in the paint, noting, “Literally, a team can get whatever they want on us. It doesn’t matter the action. It doesn’t matter which personnel they go against. They get anything they want. That’s what I watched for forty minutes.”
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Then, Reeve’s sarcasm kicked into overdrive: “Actually, we played well for the first four minutes of the game. It’s a shame that they have to keep playing hard for the rest of the game. That’s really difficult on them.”
And just in case it wasn’t crystal clear, Reeve added, “Every player, at every position, was terrible. Every player that played in the game, at every position.”
A deafening silence swallowed the room, as if the reporters were the ones getting scolded, before Reeve asked, “Anybody else wanna ask about offense?”
You have to give it to Reeve: Her comedic timing is as impeccable as her coaching acumen.
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When asked what needs to happen to fix the Lynx’s defensive issues, Reeve said, “Player-led. Player-led defense is when we’ll — you guys will know. You’ll see it. You’ll see it. It’s not player-led. Anything that is being done is because the coaches are imploring them to do it — if they decide to do it. Player-led. Those are the best teams. And we don’t have that. Not right now.”
You wouldn’t know it by the tone of Reeve’s presser, but the Lynx own the best record in the WNBA. Before losing to the Sparks, the Lynx were on a historic 10-game winning streak — the franchise’s first since 2016. They remain the favorites to win the WNBA title, which would be their first since 2017. And if the Lynx do win the 2026 WNBA Finals, we’ll remember this Reeve presser as the inflection point.
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