How did beef between Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and Caitlin Clark start?

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark dribbles during the second half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty, July 6, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Ahead of Sunday’s WNBA matchup between Indiana and Minnesota, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was asked about the potentially pro-Fever crowd at their Minnesota stadium in support of rising star Caitlin Clark. Her answer was short but not so sweet.

“I don’t give two (expletive).”

The topic of Clark entering the league has been polarizing from many angles. Mixed reactions have popped up from former and current players, to now, coaches. However, Reeve’s thoughts on Clark have dated back to before the WNBA season began, and what may seem a disgruntled relationship now was not always the case.

Reeve, director of basketball operations as well as head coach for the Lynx, alongside partner and director of business operations Carley Knox, made an appearance on FOX9 Minneapolis-St. Paul ahead of the 2024 WNBA draft. The two executives spoke with host Dawn Mitchell for an interview on Unscripted where they discussed all things basketball.

It took little time for the topic of Caitlin Clark to come up.

When Mitchell touched on the women’s NCAA national game between South Carolina and Iowa that took place in April, discussion about Caitlin Clark’s impact on the rise of popularity for women’s basketball was intertwined shortly after.

“We are so excited for Caitlin Clark to come into the WNBA”, said Knox.

Reeve went on to add that she has ‘mixed emotions’ about Clark coming into the league — but her reaction was from a competitive standpoint.

“I’m really happy for the business side, but we have to guard her,” Reeve said as the trio shared a laugh.

Mitchell followed that up by asking about Clark potentially suiting up for the head coach, who shares that duty for the U.S. women’s Olympic roster at the upcoming Paris games. To which Reeve replied, “That’s well above my pay grade but yeah, absolutely. She’s an incredible talent.”

“[Caitlin’s] favourite team ever in the WNBA was the Minnesota Lynx”, Knox added, as Reeve chimed in by adding, “That’s pretty cool.”

“We all recognize how important it is for the growth of the game, for players like Caitlin. We were all happy to see her success”, Knox continued. 

Ten minutes later, with the topic of Clark in the rearview mirror, Mitchell circled back to the general topic of the national team and Reeve discussed her goals for achieving a high-level, competitive squad.

“Individual talent is great, but how do we become the best team we can be?” Reeve said. “All the other countries spend a lot of time together… teams with some chemistry and talent, that’s going to be hard for us.”

However, a few weeks later on May 3, Cheryl Reeve took to X to promote an upcoming Lynx pre-season game. At the same time, she subtlety voiced her displeasure — not necessarily with Clark, but with the league’s coverage. In the tweet, she called out the lack of broadcasting availability for games that don’t include star rookie, with the use of hashtags such as #12teams and #theWismorethanoneplayer.

Christine Brennan of USA Today shared screenshots of another X user replying with a question, “Is there a reason why it’s not being shown?” To which another replied, “Because they only care about Caitlin”.

Then Reeve agreed by adding, “That part.”

Later, the Olympic roster was released and Clark did not make the cut, which drew criticism and questions as to Reeve’s potential part in Clark’s roster snub.

Brennan went on to report on June 13 that her USA Today colleague, Michael Terry attempted to reach out for comments from Reeve and USA basketball, with neither willing to add clarification. Terry added that “she does not have an official role in picking the 12”.

Clark got the last laugh though as her Fever downed the West-leading Lynx 81-74 behind 17 points from both the rookie phenom and Aliyah Boston.

Going into Sunday’s matchup, Clark and Fever have made their way to third in the Eastern Conference with a 10-14 record, while Reeve’s Lynx are tied with the Las Vegas Aces for first in the West, with a 16-7 record.