LeBron James Calls Out WNBA Referees for Controversial Call in Liberty’s Finals Victory

LeBron agrees with coach Reeve about last night’s atrocious officiating.

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More than 27 years after playing for the league’s inaugural championship, the new York Liberty narrowly survived an overtime classic vs. the Minnesota Lynx last night to win their first WNBA title.

In Game 5, in front of a packed house at Barclays Center, the Liberty fought back from a seven-point deficit as they entered the fourth quarter. The lead shifted back and forth multiple times in a thrilling final period, bringing the game down to the wire.

With 6.3 seconds left in regulation, the Liberty had the ball, trailing 60-58. Breanna Stewart was fouled by Alanna Smith with just 5.2 seconds remaining—a call that the Lynx chose to challenge. Unfortunately for the Lynx, the call remained and Stewart sank both free throws to tie the game at 60-60. Kayla McBride then missed a 3-pointer for Minnesota, sending the game into overtime.

Liberty star Breanna Stewart shoots against Lynx counterpart Breanna Stewart in the 2024 WNBA Finals.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

In the final minutes of overtime, the Lynx began to tire, while the Liberty displayed effective clock management. Breanna Stewart ultimately sealed the victory with two free throws with 10.1 seconds remaining. After a huge steal by Leonie Fiebich, the Liberty dribbled out the clock, securing a hard-fought and dramatic win in one of the most intense Game 5s in WNBA Finals history.

After the game, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve spent a considerable part of her news conference criticizing the officiating, saying, “This s— was stolen from us.”

Reeve was especially critical of the refs’ decision to call a foul on Alanna Smith while Minnesota was leading 60-58. As Stewart drove into the lane, it appeared as though she took the shot before any contact was made. The Lynx challenged the call, but the original decision was upheld after a video review.

Reeve called the contact “marginal at best”, an insight that LeBron James parroted on X, posting, “I’m sorry, but that wasn’t a foul! Let the d–n players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game.”

Fouls played a major role in the the Liberty’s victory last night as they had 17 more free throw attempts than the Lynx. Minnesota was called for 21 fouls to New York’s 17, with All-Star forward Napheesa Collier, the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, fouling out.

“We know we could have done some things, right, but you shouldn’t have to overcome to that extent,” Reeve said. “This s–t ain’t that hard. Officiating is not that hard.”

Reeve, who has guided the Lynx to four WNBA championships and coached the U.S. women’s team to an Olympic gold medal this summer in Paris, acknowledged that her criticisms would generate headlines. In response, she declared, “Bring it on.”