Reeve Wins Third WNBA Executive of the Year Award
The WNBA named Minnesota Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve the league's Basketball Executive of the Year on Monday. The honor marks Reeve's third selection in the award's history, a total that ties Atlanta Dream executive Dan Padover for the most selections. The announcement arrived less than two weeks after the top-seeded Lynx were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the eighth-seeded New York Liberty. Reeve received 13 votes from the league's 15-team executive voting panel, finishing ahead of Padover, who received 11 votes, and Golden State executive Ohemaa Nyanin, who received eight. The league's official announcement cited Reeve's selection of Olivia Miles with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft as a key factor in her evaluation. Miles subsequently earned unanimous Rookie of the Year honors and set the league's rookie scoring record with 790 points during the season. Reeve also facilitated a trade in April 2024 with the Chicago Sky, acquiring Sika Koné, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 first-round pick swap right, in exchange for moving from No. 8 to No. 7. A subsequent deal in April 2025 saw Minnesota send Chicago its No. 11 pick for Chicago's 2026 first-round selection outright, which allowed Minnesota to retain its own first-round pick. Reeve signed Natasha Howard, who started all 44 games and earned an All-Star starting spot, contributing to the Lynx's 33-11 regular-season record and No. 1 playoff seed. Despite these regular-season achievements, Minnesota became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA history to be eliminated by an No. 8 seed. Napheesa Collier played in both playoff games for the Lynx, who lost both contests by 16 points, including a 91-75 home defeat in Game 1. Reeve's four championships are part of her record, with the most recent title coming in 2017. In the nine seasons since that championship, Minnesota has reached the Finals once, losing to New York in 2024. During that same period, Reeve has collected three Coach of the Year awards and all three of her Executive of the Year awards. With Monday's announcement, Reeve became the first person to win both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in the same season twice.
The WNBA named Minnesota Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve the league's Basketball Executive of the Year on Monday. The honor marks Reeve's third selection in the award's history, a total that ties Atlanta Dream executive Dan Padover for the most selections. The announcement arrived less than two weeks after the top-seeded Lynx were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the eighth-seeded New York Liberty. Reeve received 13 votes from the league's 15-team executive voting panel, finishing ahead of Padover, who received 11 votes, and Golden State executive Ohemaa Nyanin, who received eight. The league's official announcement cited Reeve's selection of Olivia Miles with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft as a key factor in her evaluation. Miles subsequently earned unanimous Rookie of the Year honors and set the league's rookie scoring record with 790 points during the season. Reeve also facilitated a trade in April 2024 with the Chicago Sky, acquiring Sika Koné, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 first-round pick swap right, in exchange for moving from No. 8 to No. 7. A subsequent deal in April 2025 saw Minnesota send Chicago its No. 11 pick for Chicago's 2026 first-round selection outright, which allowed Minnesota to retain its own first-round pick. Reeve signed Natasha Howard, who started all 44 games and earned an All-Star starting spot, contributing to the Lynx's 33-11 regular-season record and No. 1 playoff seed. Despite these regular-season achievements, Minnesota became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA history to be eliminated by an No. 8 seed. Napheesa Collier played in both playoff games for the Lynx, who lost both contests by 16 points, including a 91-75 home defeat in Game 1. Reeve's four championships are part of her record, with the most recent title coming in 2017. In the nine seasons since that championship, Minnesota has reached the Finals once, losing to New York in 2024. During that same period, Reeve has collected three Coach of the Year awards and all three of her Executive of the Year awards. With Monday's announcement, Reeve became the first person to win both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in the same season twice.