The next competition of note for Team USA women’s basketball is the 2026 FIBA World Cup, which is set to tip-off place 10 months from now, in September 2026.

Kara Lawson invites Caitlin Clark to Team USA

Fortunately for Team USA fans, Reeve is no longer coaching the women’s national team, and her successor — Duke head coach Kara Lawson — who she was named to lead Team USA a couple of months ago. And one of her first acts as new head coach, is to right Reeve’s most egregious wrong.

Because when camp opens for Team USA in Durham next month, Caitlin Clark will be in the house, along with fellow rising young superstars Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and JuJu Watkins..

Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and JuJu Watkins will be among the 10 players making their USA Basketball senior national team camp debuts next month, when the storied basketball program hosts a training camp at Duke University from Dec. 12-14.

ESPN

Last WNBA season, Clark — who won Rookie of the year in 2024 — watched as her Indiana Fever lost in the WNBA Finals, despite her being injured for much of the season and all of the postseason. Caitlin Year played in just 13 games in 2025.

Minnesota native, 2025 1st overall pick, and reigning Rookie of the Year winner Paige Bueckers will get her first shot at the Team USA roster, as well, as will Angel Reese and Juju Watkins.

MN Lynx building towards 2026

The Minnesota Lynx finished 2025 with a 34-10 record, which was the best record in the WNBA. They have won the Western Conference each of the past two seasons, but have not claimed a Finals trophy to show for it.

Thankfully for Minnesota, the Lynx landed the second overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. Azzi Fudd (Iowa State), Awa Fam (Spain), Olivia Miles (TCU), Lauren Betts (UCLA), and Flau’jae Johnson (LSU) are among the top prospects.

picking SECOND. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/ipSioYDbbh

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) November 24, 2025

In 2026, the MN Lynx will look to rebound from an unceremonious playoff exit in 202, which ended with Reeve being suspended after attacking officials in on of the final games of the year, after superstar Napheesa Collier was dropped to the ground on a late game steal that sent the HOF PoBO off her rocker.

In the days that followed, Minnesota’s MVP-contender spoke out against the league and their guidance for referees. Unfortunately, it did not result in another chance to win playoff games.

While the Lynx have been a consistent force to be reckoned with over the years, so to has their President of Basketball Operations (and head coach) Cheryl Reeve. Beyond just leading the Lynx, she holds the same distinction for Team USA.

Now her efforts have landed her a spot of immortality in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Cheryl Reeve inducted into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

Although the WNBA season recently wrapped up, and the awards have all been handed out, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve just picked up a pretty big offseason accolade. Named as a member of the 2026 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class, he list of accolades continues to grow.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame today announced that Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve has been named to the Class of 2026, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the game.  

Reeve recently completed her 16th season as head coach of the Lynx and her third as president of basketball operations. A four-time WNBA Coach of the Year (2011, 2016, 2020, 2024) and two-time WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year (2019, 2024), she has captured six WNBA championships, including four as head coach in Minnesota (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and two as an assistant coach with the Detroit Shock (2006, 2008). Under Reeve’s leadership, Minnesota’s four titles are tied for the most in WNBA history, establishing the Lynx as one of the league’s most successful and storied franchises. 

Minnesota Lynx

The 59-year-old Reeve began her head coaching career with the Minnesota Lynx during the 2010 season. She guided her first team to a 13-21 record before following up with a 27-7 season that led the franchise to its first WNBA title.

Reeve won a total of four championships with Minnesota in just seven seasons. Last year she nearly guided her team to another despite it being stolen by the New York Liberty. In 2025 the Lynx came up just short after bowing out against the Phoenix Mercury.

While her style can be aggressive at times, it’s hard to question the effectiveness that Reeve has brought to the table. Still with plenty of years ahead of her, Reeve adding more to the trophy case is a pretty good bet.

The news Lynx fans have been waiting for on Saturday is an update to the condition of superstar Napheesa Collier after she had to be helped off the court. The news they got was regarding the status of Reeve for Game 4.

WNBA suspends Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve

After a colossal collapse at home in Game 2, the stakes could not have been higher for the MN Lynx on Friday night. As they closed in on a Game 3 loss, Cheryl Reeve had enough after watching Napheesa Collier go down in a heap. She let the referees have it, and then let them have it more in her postgame press conference.

The WNBA said enough.

Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Suspended pic.twitter.com/RgBAwRwOZa

— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) September 27, 2025

After the foul, Reeve was handed her second technical and she didn’t leave in any sort of a hurry. She then called out the league and its leadership postgame. Apparently the WNBA didn’t like that too much. Reeve is now barred from coaching the Minnesota Lynx in an elimination game, on the road, Sunday.

Beyond the suspension, Reeve and assistant coaches Eric Thibault and Rebekkah Brunson were all fined for their actions.

It’s understandable that Reeve would be upset given how the game was officiated as a whole. Her star shot zero free throws, and Minnesota had just 11 as a team. The Mercury took 22 free throws on the night.

WNBA gets support while being called out for MN Lynx

On Saturday the official X (formerly Twitter) account of NBA referees offered support of the crew that Reeve berated. They stated, “the leg to leg contact is incidental once the ball is clearly loose.”

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons called it the opposite way, and he brought receipts.

A rare WNBA tweet for me

1. The Lynx got HOSED by calls in last year’s Finals, they should’ve won
2. Collier gets less ref respect than any NBA/WNBA star, it’s bizarre
3. The reffing last night was hilariously bad
4. This is unequivocally a foul ⬇️⬇️⬇️pic.twitter.com/yWteauChUa

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) September 27, 2025

Even if that no-call against Collier was correct, the refereeing was questionable at best all night. That goes back to a sequence in last year’s WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty in which Minnesota was absolutely screwed over.

2024 WNBA Finals | Liberty vs Lynx: Breanna Stewart’s controversial foul call EXPLAINED pic.twitter.com/KFJA2dN53P

— nbashane (@nbashane_) October 22, 2024

The league’s commission, Cathy Engelbert, showed up in a dress supporting the Liberty to sit courtside. On X, the WNBA’s official account also put out a shady tweet following the Liberty’s win.

Reeve has some serious flaws. She dislikes Caitlin Clark way too much, even if she was right about Angel Reese. Certainly though, she’s not afraid to speak her mind, and now that cost her what could be the final game of the season.

But Minnesota’s loss last night took a backseat to Cheryl Reeve’s meltdown late in the fourth quarter, after Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Napheesa Collier at the top of the key with 26 seconds left and took it in for a layup on the other end, putting the Mercury up 82-76 and icing the game.

Cheryl Reeve tossed from playoff game after insane blow up

Reeve thought Collier was fouled on the steal, which she may have been, but it’s not totally clear. Don’t tell that to Cheryl, though. It’s one thing for a basketball coach to get upset, yell at a ref, and even get tossed.

But few do it like the Lynx’ head coach/president of basketball operations did Friday in Phoenix, completely crashing out from the moment she lost her cool until she was physically dragged to the locker room SCREAMING at Mercury fans.

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

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) September 27, 2025

😧Coach Cheryl Reeve CRASHES OUT after being ejected from the game! #WNBA pic.twitter.com/Cir5nYrw9F

— JMac | Ball Up | 🏀🏈 (@Gameis_gameLFG) September 27, 2025

Related: MN Lynx PoBO Cheryl Reeve was 100% Right About Angel Reese

I’m not sure I have seen a basketball coach interfere with the inbound play on the court, especially late in a playoff game, in order to get into the refs face and scream about a recent call. Most at least take a timeout or make sure play is stopped before completely losing their shit.

Cheryl didn’t have time for any of that professionalism, however. And if you thought you’d get an apology during Reeve’s postgame press conference… then you do not know Minnesota’s head lady. Instead, Cheryl Reeve doubled down and tripled down postgame, calling out not just the officials, but the league too.

Minnesota Lynx coach doubles down after game

To Reeve, it wasn’t just about the non-call above. Her aforementioned superstar shot ZERO free throws in Friday’s contest and the Mercury shot double the free throws (22) as the Lynx (11). Clearly, Phee being “taken out” was her final straw.

Most notably, the head of Minnesota Lynx basketball went after the league for assigning a reffing crew she believes was unfit for the moment. But then, Cheryl took it a giant step further than anyone expected, literally calling for whoever is in charge of how WNBA games are officiated to be fired.

“I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating.”

Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve responded to the officiating in Game 3 of the Lynx-Mercury WNBA Semifinal. pic.twitter.com/xuyfxmyqLa

— ESPN (@espn) September 27, 2025

“When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt. There’s fights. And this is the look that our league wants for some reason. We were trying to play through it. We tried [not] to make excuses.

One of the best players in the league shot zero free throws. Zero. And she had five fouls. Zero free throws. Got her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out and probably has a fracture.

And so if this is what our league wants, okay. But I wanna call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It’s bad for the game. The officiating crew that we had tonight for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worthy is malpractice.

I can take an L with the best of them. I don’t think we should have to play through more than what they did. We got players, moshes on the glass, and gets cracked. And there’s no call. And all of them said, it wasn’t my call. I don’t know. I didn’t see it that way. They’re f***ing awful.”

Cheryl Reeve after Lynx loss vs Mercury

Instead of choosing to stick and pick, Lynx president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve completed a trade with the Chicago Sky that moved Minnesota back a single spot. The Sky selected Reese at No. 7, before the Lynx drafted Alissa Pili at No. 8.

In the time since, Minnesota has moved on from Pili, due to a lack of production and effectiveness. In hindsight, they essentially got nothing out of that draft pick. Meanwhile, Reese has led the league in rebounds each of the past two seasons. And yet, it appears Reeve was still right to avoid the controversial star out of LSU.

Angel Reese continues to be problem Cheryl Reeve expected

There have certainly been times where Cheryl Reeve’s pettiness seems misguided. Virtually any chance she has to ignore Caitlin Clark, she will. There have been other times where she is absolutely right. And as it turns out, Angel is proving to be a nightmare in Chicago.

Last week, Reese was suspended by the Chicago Sky for comments she made publicly to the Chicago Tribune.

I’m not settling for the same s−−− we did this year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.

Angel Reese – Chicago Tribune

She went on to name teammates by name, trash Sky practice facilities and point fingers at different members of the front office/coaching staff. Then, when her suspension ended, Reese refused to take the court, sitting out the final three games of the season.

Chicago Sky planning to keep Reese around?

Despite the sideshow, general manager Jeff Pagliocca told reporters Friday that “until I hear differently, that’s the direction we’re going to move, is that she’s on the roster.”

Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who’s had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago. Obviously we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it. She spoke to her teammates, she spoke publicly. We moved on as a team. She’s a special player. And I have good conversations with Angel daily, with her team daily. They’re constant, and they’re productive.

Jeff Pagliocca – ESPN

Related: MN Lynx Star Joins Rarefied Air With Latest Ranking

Despite Reese’s presence on the team, Chicago was again not good this season. Tyler Marsh’s team finished 10-34, tied for the worst record in the league. Reese was named an All-Star and played in 30 games.

She averaged 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. Her 45.8% from the field was a significant step up, but she turned the ball over 3.9 times per game.

When, after just two seasons, your general manager needs to make public comments surrounding whether or not you’ll remain on the team, that’s problematic. It also reveals why Cheryl Reeve wanted nothing to do with Angel Reese two years ago.

Angel Reese Fit with MN Lynx never made

It’s not as though Minnesota Lynx head coach is averse to talent. Of course she would have preferred to have a player like Reese as opposed to Pili in a vacuum. The problem is that Reese brings all of the other antics with her.

The Lynx were a direct opposite reflection of Chicago this year. They finished with a 34-10 record to lead the WNBA. Superstar Napheesa Collier should be in line for her first MVP award after winning Defensive Player of the Year honors last season.

Teammates Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams have drawn a fan following with their StudBudz excitement. Reeve has the complete embodiment of a team working in Minnesota. They are looking to avenge an ugly outcome in the WNBA Finals this season, and will hopefully win their first WNBA Championship since 2017.

It all started on July 29, in a game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries. As could have been predicted, the displaced green dildo went viral.

A few days later, on August 1, a nearly identical dildo landed on the court in Chicago. To date, according to USA Today, there have been “as many” as six green dildos thrown on WNBA courts.

A third green dildo was tossed onto the court of a WNBA game last night!

This is literally the only reason to watch this sport. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/CXhr7DeODI

— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) August 6, 2025

Cheryl Reeve upset over green sex toys being thrown onto WNBA courts

While we are yet to see the Minnesota Lynx directly impacted by flying green sausage-shaped objects, their president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve felt a need to speak on this growing problem within her league. Whether it’s happening in crypto protest, WNBA protest or for laughs… the head coach of Team USA is not amused.

Reeve told reporters gathered at Lynx practice on Thursday that these flying green dildos aren’t just a safety hazard, but more importantly, it’s an attack on women via “sexualization” that has been holding the female race down for centuries…

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve pulled reporters aside after today's availability to make this comment about the recent trend of s*x toys are being thrown on WNBA courts: pic.twitter.com/oA0nHwluaf

— Shelby Swanson (she/they) (@shelbymswanson) August 7, 2025

“Obviously, you guys know what the object is. I just want to comment on [how] this has been going on for centuries. The sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. It is not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes on any radio shows or in print, or in any comments.

The sexualization of women is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different. This is just the latest version, and you should write about it in that way. These people should be held accountable. We are not the butt of the joke, they’re the problem and we need to take action.”

Cheryl Reeve – video via Shelby Swanson (Star Tribune intern)

I’m not here to convey my political beliefs on others, just like I’m not here to analyze the Minnesota Lynx’ opinions on the sexualization of women and how it has hurt or helped them. I’m just here to bring the most interesting pieces of news to Minnesota Sports Fan readers.

Some mansplaining for Minnesota Lynx PoBO and WNBA

With that being said… let me offer Cheryl some free mansplaining, since I know she would appreciate it. No matter how many WNBA championships she wins, Reeve does not get to decide what I or anyone else on the internet can or cannot find funny. That’s just not the way internet America works.

This article you are reading is a great example. I had no intention on writing about sex toys tonight or mansplaining on anything. Yet here I am, giving the dildo situation more attention, and only because of Reeve’s rant.

Another green dildo was thrown onto a WNBA court last night 😎

Green dildos are the best thing that happened to the WNBA since Caitlin Clark…#WNBA #GreenDildo #women #19th pic.twitter.com/NlOyw6Ryas

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) August 2, 2025

Related: Cheryl Reeve’s KFAN Absence Stems From Refusal to Discuss Caitlin Clark Snub

No matter how she or others feel about the toy tossing competition going on between WNBA arena patrons, this is not the way to handle it. In my non-female opinion, Reeve and those at the top of the WNBA need to stop trying to control all the uncontrollables that come with major professional sports.

If they want the big money TV contracts and higher salaries, then telling reporters how to cover the sport, or how fans how they’re allowed to watch and comment on it is a bad idea..

I don’t know how the league is going to fix its green dildo problem. Personally, I thought it was funny the first five times… but I’ve always drawn the line at six sex toys being too many. But again, that’s just me.

Everyone else is free to their own rubber/plastic object throwing opinions, just like most storylines that randomly grab national attention. Even if I agreed with Cheryl, I’d recommend against angry rants into microphones where you tell people how they should feel and what they can or cannot find funny. It never goes well.

The 58-year-old has also been Minnesota’s president of basketball operations since 2024 and head coach of the USA National Women’s Basketball Team since 2021.

MN Lynx PoBO no fan of new-era female basketball stars

Her accomplishments, both at the WNBA and international levels (more on those below), haven’t shielded her from recent criticisms, however, specifically surrounding her unwillingness to accept and help prop up the younger generation of female basketball stars, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, in order to help grow the game.

In 2024, Reeve intentionally (and obviously) avoided drafting Angel Reese with the No. 7 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Reese has since made two-straight All-Star game appearances and currently leads the WNBA in rebounds. The “big” Minnesota chose over Reese, Alissa Pili, was recently cut from the Lynx’ roster.

Reeve’s more egregious decision last summer, though, came when she helped conspire with the most influential voices in women’s basketball to keep young phenom Caitlin Clark off the 2024 Team USA Olympic roster.

Both before and after the Olympics, Reeve has made it painfully obvious how much she dislikes fielding questions surrounding Clark’s absence last summer… or really, talking about Caitlin at all.

Of course, if you snubbed the most popular female basketball player of all-time for no good reason, undoubtedly stunting the growth of a sport ready to blow up at levels unimaginable prior to Clark’s arrival, I doubt you’d enjoy talking publicly about it either.

Cheryl Reeve’s absence from KFAN due to her refusal to talk about Caitlin Clark

But this week, radio host Dan Barreiro (KFAN) confirmed that Caitlin Clark is indeed the reason Minnesota’s PoBO has been absent from hands down the most popular drivetime sports radio show in Minnesota.

According to what Barreiro told listeners Monday, that Reeve’s year-long break from KFAN stems back to her refusal to talk about Clark’s Team USA snub, prior to the Paris Games. From the sounds of it, Dan and Cheryl — who chatted semi-regularly leading up to that point — haven’t communicated since.

“605 Guy writes, [are you too hard on Cheryl] Reeve that she’ll no longer come on your show?’

Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, but it is true that the, I’d say ‘battle’ but that’s the wrong word. The challenge goes back to the last time we were trying to get Reeve on.

[It] was before the Olympics and I said, “Look, um, this doesn’t have to be the the the the meat of our conversation, but I’m going to have to ask you about that whole [Caitlin Clark] deal.’

This was via DMing or texting, whatever. And she said, ‘I can’t talk about that.’ So then, I don’t even know if I answered her, but at that point I can’t in my right mind [do the interview].

I think I even said ‘you’re pretty good at deflecting, I’m not going to like spend 20 minutes on it, but you’ve got to understand I can’t ignore it. It’s too big a story at this point.’ And so this whole thing gets kind of silly.”

Dan Barreiro – KFAN Radio

After serving as the Minnesota Lynx’ general manager from 2018-2022, she was named president of basketball operations last offseason, giving her full control of the four-time champion organization that she helped build from the ground up, starting in 2010.

Cheryl Reeve has been running from Caitlin Clark discussions since beginning

In 2021, Cheryl’s success in Minnesota landed her the head coaching job with Team USA, which has continued its complete and utter domination of international women’s basketball during her Team USA head coaching tenure (23-0), which includes a Gold Medal during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Related: Minnesota Lynx Roster Changes Amidst Title Run

When Clark was first snubbed by Team USA, some (including Reeve) tried to defend the decision as “basketball-related”. But even if you submit to the idea that Caitlin wasn’t one of the best 15 female basketball players in the world when rosters were finalized, it’s impossible to argue against the fact that having her on the team would have done wonders for fan interest during the games.

But instead of being one of the summer’s most popular and followed events, which it undoubtedly would have had Caitlin Clark been invited to Paris, women’s basketball was left on the 2024 Olympic backburner, Gold Medal and all… just like it always has been.

And with their newly acquired No. 7 overall draft pick, the Sky selected LSU post player, Angel Reese, who went on to finish second in 2024 Rookie of the Year voting, behind only Caitlin Clark. Minnesota picked Alissa Pili, another post out of Utah.

As history tells us, the MN Lynx went on to fall in five games to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals, just short of what would’ve been their fifth WNBA title.

Remember when the Minnesota Lynx passed on drafting Angel Reese?

After the draft, Reeve suggested that Angel Reese wouldn’t have been a good fit on the Minnesota roster. Then, in an article he wrote in mid-August 2024, local columnist Patrick Reusse (Star Tribune) revealed what everyone already knew. The real reason why Reeve traded out of the No. 7 overall pick was quite literally to avoid Reese.

Which begs the question: could Reeve, also the team president, really afford to not draft talent because she didn’t want to coach someone? That is what occurred in the mid-April draft, when she traded down to avoid taking Angel Reese with the seventh pick, leaving the Lynx to take a flier on Pili at No. 8.

Patrick Reusse – Star Tribune

Could Angel Reese have changed that outcome for the Lynx? Maybe not, but I did argue at the time that, had Reeve drafted Reese, life would’ve been better for the Minnesota Lynx future.

Related: Minnesota Lynx Passed on Angel Reese Because Cheryl Reeve Did Not Want to Coach Her

After all, Minnesota needed help on the interior and Reese was one of the top post players in the draft, not to mention her starpower being second only to her 2024 draft classmate, Caitlin Clark. In fact, I all but called for Cheryl’s job.

If Cheryl Reeve can’t make objective decisions that make the Minnesota Lynx (and Team USA) better, then why does she have her job? I thought this was about winning?

Me – August 17, 2024

Now here we are, one year later. The Minnesota Lynx are off to a 3-0 start in the 2025 WNBA regular season. Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are 0-2, following two blowout losses to start their summer.

Turns out… Angel Reese is not very good at basketball

How was Angel Reese in those first two games? Well… that depends on how you judge a basketball player. If you want lots of rebounds and muscle out of your post players, Reese always provides that. After averaging 13.2 rebounds per game as a rookie, Reese is up to 14.5 rebounds per game in year two.

But if you want your Minnesota Lynx stars to do anything else… like dribble, shoot or pass… then you might want to find another WNBA player to follow, because Angel can do none of those things.

She is averaging 7 points per game, nearly half of what she did as a rookie, and she’s shooting 22.7% from the field. Most of Reese’s shots come from within 5 feet of the basket. What does 22.7% from layup distance look like, you ask? Pretty much how you’d imagine.

Angel Reese with her signature move 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/K3slCimkq8

— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) May 23, 2025

Angel Reese is BACK. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/h0Mm6DAmH8

— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) May 17, 2025

Those who follow MSF may know that I am the biggest Cheryl Reeve critic in Minnesota. But I am also willing to raise my hand and admit when I am wrong. So, I have come here today to apologize to the MN Lynx PoBO. Because I missed the mark big time on this one.

MN Lynx PoBO Cheryl Reeve was right… I was wrong

Cheryl, you were right. I was wrong. You were smart, I was dumb. While it’s likely Angel Reese would have put the Minnesota Lynx into the news cycle more often — In fact, there’s a 100% chance of that — it wouldn’t have been worth watching her try to play basketball on a regular basis.

When it comes to Reese, Reeve was right to do everything within her power to avoid drafting the LSU bricklayer, who might be the most unskilled basketball star in the game’s history.

In fact, I’d argue passing on Reese was the best thing this organization has done since winning its last WNBA championship. So you may not hear me say this often. But Cheryl deserves lots of credit here, because not every decision maker in her position would have had the instinct she did on Reese.

I love Lynx head coach and president of ball ops Cheryl Reeve for saying exactly what she thinks whether it’s the first or last game of the season. What are the Lynx gonna do, fire her? She’s the coach of Team USA – and not the one that loses. She also won WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year for a second time last season.

Related: Team USA Has to Fire Cheryl Reeve, Right?

But is she making excuses for a team that was one-dimensional and lacked the size and strength to rebound and score in the paint? We’ll likely get our answer when free agent Emma Meesseman signs a contract. Michael Voepel of ESPN identified Minnesota and Connecticut as her most likely destinations.

Meesseman has not played in the WNBA the past two years. Her most recent season was 2022 with Chicago. The 6-foot-4 forward is a longtime member of the Belgian national team and has played extensively overseas. That has taken her away from the WNBA, but she is expected to play this year. She turns 32 three days before the WNBA season starts and is a dependable, versatile veteran who can fit any system.

-Michael Voepel, ESPN

Minnesota makes perfect sense unless you believe the 2024 championship was indeed stolen and not lost by the Lynx due to an undersized lineup that struggled to rebound, score and defend in the paint, and get to the free throw line.

Lynx didn’t have the muscle to stop the steal of 2024

Cheryl’s not wrong about being robbed, though. That officiating crew lost control of the game well before the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter. They called two fouls in the opening quarter. Two. That’s not how you set the tone for the style of play you expect from the participants.

Related: Revealed: “Derogatory” Comments That Got Chris Finch Ejected from Wolves vs Suns

Given the travel schedule and extremely physical series, that first quarter can’t be officiated loosely. Tired legs minus whistles equals no space for offensive players, poor shooting, and bad basketball all around.

It was an unwatchable game played under conditions that suited bigger players (Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart) shooting shorter shots and getting 17 more free throws than Minnesota. The game was stolen from all of us watching, but the Lynx had opportunities to win that rock fight. They just didn’t have the muscle.

That time Emma Meesseman blacked out the Sun

Now that we’ve got that garbage out of the way, let’s talk about one of the most entertaining games in WNBA history. I vividly remember Game 5 of the 2019 WNBA Finals. I was rooting for Connecticut to win the series until Emma Meesseman made it impossible to root for anyone but her.

With 6:22 left in the third quarter, Connecticut led 53-46. Then Meesseman entered the game. She scored 11 points, including an 18-footer that tied it at 62 with 11 seconds left in the quarter. She went 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line.

At a time when the game was getting away from the Mystics, Emma Meesseman absolutely filled it up. She also drew three fouls, blocked a shot, and grabbed a rebound. In the fourth quarter she had four points, two boards, two steals, blocked a three-point attempt, and assisted on a game-tying three by Natasha Cloud.

Related: Has Minnesota Lynx Star Napheesa Collier Solved the WNBA’s Overseas Issues?

You know what she didn’t do in the third and fourth quarter of that WNBA Finals Game 5? She didn’t turn the ball over and she didn’t attempt a three. You know what the Minnesota Lynx need to win games against bigger, more physical opponents? Someone big enough to defend them and get some points in and around the paint.

Emma Meesseman brings Minnesota Lynx muscle, man

I give Cheryl Reeve a lot of credit for constructing this Lynx team. But even she acknowledged there was something missing by trading for Myisha Hines-Allen last season. She’s now in Dallas.

Minnesota is not a physical team. The Lynx spread the floor and shoot the three better than anyone. They defend the three better than anyone. But they struggle with length on both ends of the floor. Even Hines-Allen is only six-foot-one. So is Napheesa Collier.

Emma Meesseman is six-foot-four. She can defend the bigs with whom the Lynx struggle (i.e A’Ja Wilson and Jonquel Jones) and find open shots against those defenders. The Lynx were last in paint points last season with 28.1 per game, and Emma would lift Minnesota out of the basement there.

The Minnesota Lynx attempted and made the second-fewest free throws in the WNBA last season, too. That’s because they increased three-point attempts by 20 percent and lowered two-point attempts by almost 10 percent.

This is why I’m not a fan of the high-volume, three-point approach to the game. When things get nasty in the playoffs, those long shots are less open than they were in the regular season. Then what? Then you attack the rack with your Meesseman.

They didn’t stop shooting threes. Finished 12 of 40. They go 10 of 30 and shoot 10 more twos instead, it’s a tie ballgame with a stronger likelihood one of those 2PAs becomes a three-pointer at the foul line for the win. Insanity. Literal insanity. https://t.co/5cZVv4HOif

— Anthony Varriano (@GoGonzoJournal) February 2, 2025

She hits shots inside the arc at an incredibly high rate (60 percent shooting on two-pointers in 2022). She shoots a three per game to establish the threat and make the rim protector defend even farther from the basket (37 percent three-point shooter for career). She’ll also get you buckets by finding the open player (averaging 4 assists per game over last two WNBA seasons).

On the other end she defends the bigs (1 steal and 1 block per game) without fouling (2.3 fouls per game) and keeps them off the boards (5.3 rebounds per game). She’s practically perfect for this team that suffered severely for being one-dimensional last season. But it’s not like that team couldn’t win it all…they just couldn’t win a rock fight.

Cheryl Reeve: "This shit was stolen from us" pic.twitter.com/7p2Ie5vEsz

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) October 21, 2024

Minnesota Lynx coach and PoBO Cheryl Reeve to the NBA…?

Cheryl Reeve just wrapped up her 15th season as the Minnesota Lynx head coach. She’s got four championships under her belt, which ties for the most in WNBA history. Reeve is also the President of basketball operations for the Lynx.

She isn’t just making waves with the Lynx, she’s also leading the USA women’s basketball team. She brought home the gold at the 2024 Olympics this summer. At 58 years old, what’s next for Cheryl Reeve? Well, Charley Walters from the Pioneer Press just dropped an intriguing note in his most recent column, claiming, “No doubt the first NBA woman head coach will be the Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve”.

Walters is one of the most plugged-in insiders in Minnesota. This isn’t something he would just throw onto the internet, without hearing it somewhere else first. It’s gonna be really interesting to see how that unfolds. With the NBA season starting tonight and no head coaching spots open right now, what does exactly he mean?

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If a NBA coach gets fired early, could she land that gig? It’s definitely a possibility. Plus, the WNBA season runs on a different timeline than the NBA, which opens the door for some double duty if she wants to stick around with the Lynx. Who knows what could happen.

Related: Minnesota Lynx Passed on Angel Reese Because Cheryl Reeve Did Not Want to Coach Her

She’s done it all, winning multiple championships and snagging gold medals in both the WNBA and the Olympics. So, could she actually make a splash in the NBA?

It might sound a bit wild, but with her impressive track record, it’s not entirely out of the question. In fact, Walters thinks she’s already on her way to becoming the first female head coach in the NBA.

It’s worth mentioning that Charley Walters, a longtime sports writer for the Pioneer Press, has been a well-known figure in the area for years. Is he spot on about everything? No. But he definitely has some solid connections and access to top-notch sources. Only time will tell if he ends up being right.