Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wins record fifth WNBA award

Cheryl Reeve was named WNBA Coach of the Year for a record fifth time on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, taking 40 of 74 votes from a media panel. She had won in 2011, 2016, 2020 and 2024; no other coach has won more than three times since the award began in 1997. Natalie Nakase finished second with 20 votes and Sydney Johnson third with 14. Reeve led Minnesota to a league-best 33-11 record and the No. 1 seed, a game ahead of the 32-12 Valkyries. In her 17th season she stands 397-201 and became the WNBA’s all-time regular-season wins leader with her 380th victory on July 8 against Connecticut. The award came as the Lynx trailed 1-0 in a best-of-three first-round series after a 91-75 home loss to the New York Liberty on Sunday, with Game 2 set for Tuesday in New York. Rated coverage was imbalanced: two left-rated outlets, one right-rated outlet, and no center-rated pieces.