Who is Cheryl Reeve? WNBA coach slams people throwing s*x toys on court as she demands accountability

Cheryl Reeve, one of the most successful coaches in women's basketball history, has drawn attention to an alarming trend in recent WNBA games where fans have thrown s*x toys on the court.

Reeve, now head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, is calling for accountability and condemns the action as part of a wider pattern of sexualization of women in sport.

Reeve, 58, is no stranger to voicing concern about respect and professionalism in women's sport. For more than a decade, she has been at the helm of the Lynx with four WNBA championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and three WNBA Coach of the Year awards as her accolades.

 

 

 

 

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According to NBC Olympics, Cheryl Reeve is also the current head coach of the U.S. Women's National Basketball Team in pursuit of their potential eighth-consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in New Jersey, Reeve established her basketball legacy as a point guard first at La Salle University and later shifted to coaching positions with several other universities and professional teams. She has numerous Olympic and FIBA World Cup gold medals in coaching as both an assistant and head coach.

A look into the recent trend in WNBA and Cheryl Reeve's response

A recent trend began to make national news on July 29, when a green object, which later turned out to be a sex toy, was thrown on the court when the Golden State Valkyries played the Atlanta Dream.

In the following days, additional items (different but presumably similar to the first) were thrown at games taking place in Phoenix and Los Angeles. According to people, in one instance, video footage showed an 18-year-old throwing the item in front of him, prompting the police to arrest him.

Police have charged several people with public indecency, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespass. The WNBA has not made any official acknowledgement of whether or not the cases are under active investigation. But Cheryl Reeve did not hold back and had this to say:

"The sexualization of women is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different. These people that are doing this should be held accountable. We’re not the butt of the joke, they’re the problem," Reeve told KSTP.

NEW: WNBA coach says it's time to "take action" against people throwing s*x toys on the court during games, says "we're not the butt of the joke."



Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is demanding accountability and says the stunts are not funny.



"This has been going on for centuries ... it… pic.twitter.com/QPW7yoCyqu

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 7, 2025

For Cheryl Reeve, it's more than just fan misconduct; she expressed how such jokes or pranks have directly affected a woman's dignity and respect.

"The sexualization of women is what's used to hold women down. It should not be the butt of jokes on any radio show or in print, or any comments," she added.

While these incidents may distract from the WNBA's emergence into the mainstream, the likes of Cheryl Reeve are calling for a change in culture.