Breaking: Lynx Sign Cheryl Reeve to Five-Year Contract Extension

The Minnesota Lynx have signed head coach Cheryl Reeve to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday afternoon. As part of the agreement, Reeve received a promotion from General Manager to President of Basketball Operations.

Reeve announced during a media availability Thursday afternoon she signed a five-year deal.

“I appreciate the confidence that Glen and Becky Taylor have shown in me through the years and am excited to have the opportunity to continue to lead the Lynx organization into the future,” Reeve said in a press release issued by the organization. “Minnesota has been a great home to me and my family and I simply love being a part of the Twin Cities community. The Lynx fanbase is the best in all of the WNBA and I look forward to building on the successes we have had as an organization.”

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Reeve, who holds a share of the league record with four WNBA championships as a head coach, will begin her 14th season as head coach and sixth year in a dual role leading the storied franchise next spring. Her 13-year run so far is the longest coaching tenure in league history.

“Cheryl’s impactful leadership on and off the court has guided the Lynx for more than a decade, and I’m thrilled that she is returning and additionally taking on new responsibilities as President of Basketball Operations,” Lynx governor Glen Taylor said in the release. “Cheryl’s devotion to growing the game and our league is extraordinary, and we have some exciting seasons ahead of us.”

With Reeve now signed long-term, the franchise will press forward into a retooling period centered around All-Star forward Napheesa Collier in the wake of the legendary Sylvia Fowles announcing her retirement following the 2022 WNBA season. The Lynx hold the fourth-best odds (10.4%) of securing the No. 1 overall pick in next Friday’s (November 11) WNBA Draft Lottery; no matter how the lottery plays out, that pick will be helpful in kickstarting the work that the 2019 WNBA Executive of the Year and the Lynx front office have in front of them.

The three-time WNBA Coach of the Year has led the Lynx to 281 regular season wins and 41 playoff victories across her 13 seasons, both best in league history. Reeve is one of two coaches in W history with a winning percentage north of 65% after 100 games coached, and the only coach to bring her team to the playoffs in 11 straight seasons.

No stranger to winning titles, Reeve is fresh off capturing gold at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Sydney, Australia last month as the head coach of the USA Basketball Senior Women’s National Team. Reeve was hired to the role in 2021 and will lead USA Basketball through the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, which the team qualified for by winning the World Cup.

Stay tuned for more on Reeve’s contract extension.