WNBA Shocker: Napheesa Collier and Lynx Sue League Over ‘Rigged’ Playoff Loss, Demand Rematch and..
In a bombshell legal move that’s sending shockwaves through the basketball world, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and the franchise have filed a high-stakes lawsuit against WNBA organizers. The suit demands the annulment of their heartbreaking playoff series loss to the Phoenix Mercury, a full rematch, and—perhaps most controversially—the outright ban of Mercury fans from future games.
The drama erupted after the Lynx’s 89-84 defeat in Game 3 on Friday where Collier, sidelined by a late ankle sprain, watched from the bench as her team faltered amid what she calls “egregious officiating.” “We clearly played better than the Phoenix Mercury,” Collier fumed in a fiery post-game statement. “But in Game 3, we were affected by bad officiating which led to an unfavorable outcome. We propose banning Mercury fans—those rowdy supporters poisoned the atmosphere with their toxic energy. It’s time for accountability!”
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, ejected earlier in the game for protesting calls, echoed the sentiment, blasting the league for “institutional bias” favoring the fourth-seeded Mercury’s Cinderella run. The suit cites 17 “phantom fouls” and alleges referee collusion, backed by fan-submitted videos showing questionable whistles.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert dismissed the claims as “frivolous,” but insiders whisper of an emergency review. Mercury guard Kahleah Copper laughed it off: “Ban our fans? Good luck—they’re the real MVPs.”
As legal briefs fly, the basketball sisterhood fractures. Will the league rewind the clock, or is this sour grapes from a dynasty denied? One thing’s clear: the WNBA’s offseason just got nuclear.
