WNBA sources: No link between injuries and refs

PHOENIX -- As WNBA officials look renewed disapproval from coaches and players pointed astatine the level of physicality and fig of injuries that person happened passim the season, league sources told ESPN that their information does not amusement immoderate correlation betwixt the rash of caller playoff injuries and missed calls by officials.

WNBA Referee Operations reviews information passim the play to code what league sources notation to arsenic "legitimate criticism" and pinpoint areas they request to amended on. Through that process, the referee operations committee recovered that allegations that the officiating errors person led to much injuries were unfounded, league sources told ESPN.

There has been a nationalist outcry from immoderate apical players and coaches demanding that the league code what they consciousness is mediocre officiating. Most recently, Minnesota Lynx manager Cheryl Reeve was suspended aft calling for a alteration of enactment connected the league level surrounding who hires and assigns officials to games.

Reeve volition serve the suspension during Game 4 against the Phoenix Mercury connected Sunday.

Reeve said it was "malpractice" for the WNBA to delegate the 3 referees who worked Game 3, questioning their credentials aft her prima player, Napheesa Collier, was injured successful the closing seconds erstwhile Phoenix's Alyssa Thomas collided with her aft stealing the shot distant from the MVP runner-up. No foul was called connected the play.

On Sunday, Las Vegas Aces manager Becky Hammon, who called retired the officiating up of Game 1 of the semifinals against the Indiana Fever, supported Reeve and her comments.

"From what I heard, she did not archer a lie. She said the truth," Hammon said.

The aforesaid officiating unit that worked Game 3 successful Phoenix is moving Game 4 successful Indiana connected Sunday.

Previously, Hammon said the level of physicality that WNBA referees are allowing would ne'er beryllium tolerated successful immoderate different league.

Fever manager Stephanie White said Reeve "made a batch of valid points."

"Every portion of our league has gotten better, and that portion has lagged behind, for immoderate reason," White said. "Oftentimes it's infrastructure successful presumption of training, oftentimes it's financial. And it's truly investing successful who we person arsenic officials, and sometimes it's manpower. Who's coming into the program? How bash we get them to instrumentality around? How bash we support them increasing and getting better? Do we person much resources to enactment them? Do we person much resources to help, whether it's thing similar a replay center? And those are conversations that proceed to beryllium ongoing."

The league goes done a three-pillar vetting process to find its officials, sources said. First, determination is simply a reappraisal by the WNBA referee officials. Second, determination is simply a sheet of autarkic reviewers who look astatine the refs and their assemblage of work. Third, determination is simply a substance enactment coaches tin nonstop feedback to aft each azygous game. There are besides mid-season and end-of-season reviews of each of the officials.

The WNBA volition not punish -- done fines oregon suspensions -- an authoritative for a singular error, but it alternatively assesses their assemblage of enactment done the season. If determination is simply a communal drawstring of mistakes, that volition beryllium addressed, sources said.