Caitlin Clark needs a coach she respects—and Lynx head coach Reeve may be that model, according to one ex-ESPN host. Despite losing their last game to Minnesota, Reeve and Clark shared a warm moment, images of which went viral. Cameras caught the Fever star and Lynx head coach exchanging a few words and sharing some smiles, offering a glimpse of the mutual respect between the two. For Linda Cohn, however, the interaction represented something more than a friendly pregame moment.
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In her recent conversation with Maurice Drake Jr., host of Keep The Vision, Cohn pointed to Clark’s relationship with Reeve as an example of the kind of coaching environment she believes could bring out the best in the Fever star.
“Can you imagine Caitlin Clark playing for a coach like that? Because even if Cheryl Reeve does the tough love on her, Caitlin respects someone like that,” Cohn said. “That’s the difference. And she is coachable for people like, ‘Oh, Linda, Maurice, you’re always defending Caitlin Clark. She can’t have her best friend as a coach.’ That’s not what we’re saying. She’s very coachable. But the person that coaches her, she has to respect. She can’t be, meaning Caitlin, have the better basketball mind than the head coach.”
Caitlin Clark and Reeve have not always had the simplest relationship since entering the WNBA spotlight together. Their connection became particularly complicated during the 2024 Olympic roster debate, when Reeve was frequently questioned about Clark’s omission from Team USA.
Reeve was not the sole decision-maker on the roster, but her position as national team head coach placed her at the center of the conversation. But Clark later chose Reeve as one of her coaches during the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, which just added another layer to their relationship. Whatever tension surrounded their earlier interactions, the two have continued to show signs of mutual respect.
That is also why Cohn’s comments connect to a much broader narrative that has followed the 24-year-old and the Fever coaching staff throughout this season. Several sideline exchanges have fueled outside speculation about how well Clark and her coaches see eye to eye, even though both Clark and the Fever have pushed back on reports of a rift.
The conversation resurfaced during Indiana’s 93-77 loss to the Washington Mystics, when Clark was visibly frustrated while speaking with Stephanie White on the sideline. One game later, cameras caught Fever assistant coach Briann January animatedly talking to Clark during Indiana’s 96-77 win over Minnesota. Neither clip confirmed a deeper disagreement, but together with previous exchanges, they have kept the player-coach dynamic in the spotlight.
Yet Caitlin Clark pushed back against such narratives in July, saying much of what gets discussed publicly is “not always based in reality.” Cohn, however, believes the issue is less about whether Clark is coachable and more about whether she respects the person coaching her.
“And I didn’t see it coming. I got to be honest with you – I don’t know – I thought when Stephanie White came over, I thought, it was going to work. I did. And then it didn’t. I try to be positive like you. And that’s what people think. We’re here to just get the views and clicks. I mean, we speak our mind. We’re honest. And by the comments that we get, we’re not alone with the way we’re thinking,” Cohn further added.
For Cohn, the difference between Reeve and White appears to come down to the relationship she believes Clark needs with her head coach. Whether that assessment accurately reflects what is happening inside Indiana, however, remains a matter of interpretation. The Fever has consistently maintained that outside perceptions do not reflect the locker room realities.
What is clear is that Caitlin Clark and Reeve’s friendly interaction before the finale gave Cohn another reference point for a conversation that has followed the Fever throughout the season. With Indiana now heading into the playoffs, the focus will shift from sideline moments and outside narratives to how Clark and the coaching staff perform together when the stakes are at their highest.