Cheryl Reeve’s name carries weight in women’s basketball for good reason. She has been at the helm of the Minnesota Lynx since 2010 and has built one of the league’s great dynasties. In just her second season, she guided the Lynx to the 2011 WNBA title and picked up Coach of the Year honors. Over the years, she’s added three more championships (2013, 2015, 2017) to her résumé, along with two earlier titles in 2006 and 2008 as an assistant. Reeve is also the first coach in league history to win Coach of the Year four times.

Reeve has also built an impressive international resume. She guided Team USA to gold medals as both an assistant and head coach at the Olympics and the FIBA World Cup. While her on-court accomplishments continue to add to an already remarkable legacy, there’s also interest in the life she leads away from the sidelines. Here’s a closer look at the family of one of the most decorated coaches in women’s basketball.

Who is Oliver Knox-Reeve? Meet Cheryl Reeve and Carley Knox’s kids

Cheryl Reeve has built her reputation on fiery sideline moments and a stack of championships, but off the court, her proudest role is being a mom. She and her partner, Carley Knox, are raising their son, Oliver Knox-Reeve, who has grown up with basketball all around him. While his exact birthdate isn’t public, Reeve has mentioned in interviews that Oliver is 10 years old as of August 2025.

Oliver is already a hoops junkie. By 2024, he had sat through all 470 of his mom’s games with the Lynx. Not just that, he’ll often run through postgame analysis with her, and loves critiquing the officials. But his passion for sports extends beyond the WNBA.

During Team USA’s pool play win over Belgium, Oliver set a personal mission to scream louder than the 27,000-plus fans packed into the arena (probably that energy mirrors his mom’s own competitive fire)! Beyond hoop interest, Oliver’s curiosity often extends into everyday life. At Halloween, when all the neighborhood kids dressed up as Star Wars characters, he was set to go as Han Solo. But the night before, he declared he wanted to be heroine Rey Skywalker, sparking an unsuccessful last-minute costume search.

Ultimately, Oliver went as Han Solo, but the lesson was clear: Oliver saw Rey simply as someone to admire. Sitting in her kitchen, Reeve smiled and said of her son, “We’re just trying to make the world a better place, aren’t we?” She was proud of her son breaking away from the norms of society. But Oliver isn’t the only kid getting all of Reeve’s attention.

Reeve also likes to describe herself as the mother of an extended family of the Minnesota Lynx. She describes herself as both a protective mother figure and a demanding coach. Always tailoring her approach to what each player needs. And she has the support of her spouse, Carley Knox, for it.

Inside Reeve and Knox’s relationship and family life

Four-time WNBA champion coach Cheryl Reeve has built a joyful home life with her partner, Carley Knox. Reeve, alongside her partner Knox, who is now the Minnesota Lynx’s President of Business Operations, lives with their son Oliver and the family’s two dogs. The couple first crossed paths in 2006 while working with the Detroit Shock, where Reeve was an assistant coach and Knox served as director of sales and marketing. Five years later, just days after the Lynx celebrated their first WNBA championship with a parade, they tied the knot.

Dubbed as the Twin Cities power couple, they use their platform for good. Reeve and Knox have equally contributed to women’s and LGBTQ+ communities in sports. Whether it’s the example of allowing Oliver to want to dress up as Rey Skywalker, the two have demonstrated equality for all groups, and they back it up with their words. While sitting for a TV interview, Knox, in an official capacity as a Minnesota Lynx representative, stated, “We are fighting the fight for all marginalized groups. So it’s not just about girls and women. It’s helping to raise the next generation of enlightened boys and girls.”

The power couple of Reeve and Knox also makes it a priority to push for stronger support systems within the WNBA. Reeve has seen firsthand how far the league has come in giving players who want to be moms the resources they need. Earlier generations often felt pressure to wait until retirement before starting families. The WNBA has since embraced a culture where children are welcome.

As a mother herself, Reeve has positive views on this change. “I think it’s been a great development,” she said. “When I first got into the league, we didn’t have a lot of (moms). The longer we’re around, the more we understand how we can navigate those spaces. We’re evolving as a society … and women are showing us they can be anything and do anything.” As the couple navigates through the world of professional basketball, they also hold each other in high regard and try to uplift everyone around them.