Following a lot of concerns about the level officiating during the regular season, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is not pleased with how the referees have called the first two games of the WNBA semifinal series against the Indiana Fever.
Speaking to reporters after the Aces’ 90-68 win in Game 2 on Tuesday, Hammon said the physicality in the series is “out of control” for both teams:
“I mean, you can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court. You put two hands on somebody like that, it should be an automatic foul. The freedom of movement, there’s no freedom. And I’m not saying that we’re not fouling, too, not saying that. I’m saying it’s out of control. Most of my assistants come from the NBA, and they’re like, ‘This would not fly in the NBA. … There’d be fights.’ We just have very well-mannered women that can get to the next play.”
There were a total of 41 fouls called between the two teams on Tuesday night after 27 in Game 1. Hammon did note she told her players to get “a little feisty” in Game 2 following their disappointing effort in Game 1.
Players and coaches throughout the league have expressed frustration with the way games are officiated this season. Leading into the All-Star break in July, ESPN’s Maria Lawson spoke to several people in the WNBA about their concerns.
New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud told Lawson the relationship between players and refs has become strained.
“I work my f–king ass off all offseason for these 4.5 months to try to win a championship,” Cloud said. “And if I feel like [refs are] having too much f–king impact on the game, it shouldn’t be. … This is collaborative to make this thing go.”
Monty McCutchen, head of WNBA officiating, acknowledged to Lawson the league is always emphasizing things for the refs to get better at, but “there’s always going to be noise about officiating that is inaccurate.”
Teams averaged 17.5 fouls per game during the regular season, a slight increase from 2024 (17.2). The league has been very sensitive about anyone saying anything about the officiating.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was fined twice in the span of 10 days for comments she made on her podcast.
Unlike NBA referees, the vast majority of whom are full-time employees, the WNBA has 35 officials who are all part-time workers and generally moonlight as college or G League refs.
Despite both teams being unhappy with how Tuesday’s game was called, the Fever and Aces split the first two games in Las Vegas. The series will shift to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the next two games, starting with Game 3 on Friday.
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