UConn's Geno Auriemma says WNBA physicality is a 'shame' and 'not conducive to great basketball'

Legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma is the latest major figure in women's basketball to weigh in on the WNBA's officiating crisis. Speaking to the media Monday in Storrs after the Huskies' first official practice of the 2025-26 NCAA campaign, Auriemma said that the physicality allowed in the WNBA is a "shame" and "not conducive to great basketball." 

WNBA coaches, players and fans have offered general critiques of officiating throughout the season, but the issue reached a tipping point over the weekend after a controversial end to Game 3 of the semifinal series between the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury, and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve's subsequent outburst. 

Cheryl Reeve is right: The WNBA's physicality problem has hit a crisis point and officiating needs to change

Lindsay Gibbs

Reeve was later suspended for the Lynx's season-ending Game 4 defeat and reportedly fined $15,000 for her actions, which included calling for a "change in leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating" and saying the officials were "f---king awful." Lynx assistants Eric Thibault and Rebekkah Brunson were also fined for their reactions, as were Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White, who publicly supported Reeve. 

Auriemma, who has coached UConn since 1985 -- more than a decade before the WNBA came into existence -- has sent dozens of players to the league. One of them is Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who suffered a season-ending injury during the contentious end to Game 3. Mercury star Alyssa Thomas collided with Collier after poking the ball away from her for a game-sealing steal. Collier's knee and ankle bent awkwardly, but no foul was called on the play, which enraged Reeve. 

For his part, Auriemma wasn't sure if the incident was a foul. "Is that a continuation of the play? Is it incidental contact? I don't know," Auriemma said. "I don't think (Reeve) reacted just at that call. That reaction was based on an entire game of that when a lot of contact was not incidental."

Here are Auriemma's extended thoughts on the state of the WNBA's officiating and style of play:

"I've been pretty consistent in my observations of both college basketball and the WNBA, where the positives are and where the negatives are. And I've had a lot of NBA people and former WNBA players tell me that what goes on in a WNBA game is way more physical than what happens in an NBA game. Maybe the NBA Playoffs are a different story. But on a daily basis the WNBA game is not conducive to great basketball. You can spin it any way you want. There are more viewers, that's great. That doesn't mean it's a better game because more people are watching supposedly.

"You watch last year's final game between the Liberty and the Lynx. It was a horrendous game. Anyway you want to spin it, it was a horrendous game. The two best teams in the league and it's like 20-20 at halftime. People can't get open. People can't cut. The ballhandlers are getting whacked every time they move. 

"You always expect your best player to have a rough time. I've been through that and I've complained about that a lot. I don't blame the officials. Everyone says, 'These officials are bad. Those officials are good. If we had those officials it would be a better game.' I don't think it's the people who are actually officiating the games. It's what's either in the rule book or what's accepted as the style of play they want. Because if they didn't want that style of play, they wouldn't have it. So you can't just say it's the officials' fault.

"It's intentional, all the things that you can get away with in the WNBA. That probably added up, added up, and you lose your mind and do things you normally wouldn't do. Is that the officials' fault? It's what's allowed. Like the BS that happened at the Ryder Cup this weekend. Is that allowed to happen at Augusta (at The Masters)? Whatever happens is allowed to happen. If it wasn't acceptable it wouldn't be allowed to happen. The rules are the rules and the officials are probably officiating the games by the rules they've been handed.

"If you want the game to be different you have to legislate it to be different. This is the way they want to game, is all I can assume. Me personally? I don't think people want to watch that. It's a shame because there are a lot of really, really good players. That's my thing — there are a lot of really good players and you can't see how talented they are because they're not allowed to be."

Auriemma's comments echo those made by Reeve and other WNBA coaches earlier this season. Hammon said earlier in the playoffs that the level of physicality is "out of control" and would lead to fights in the NBA. White consistently complained about the lack of freedom of movement, and said the contact allowed against star guard Caitlin Clark was a factor in her injury-riddled sophomore campaign, which ended after 13 games. 

The WNBA playoffs will continue Tuesday with a winner-take-all Game 5 between the Aces and Fever in the semifinals. The winner will advance to the 2025 Finals to take on the Mercury, with Game 1 of the championship series set for Friday.