“We haven’t talked about the officiating all playoffs. We just play and we’re worried about us.” That was Nate Tibbetts through most of the postseason–the Phoenix Mercury head coach known for keeping his cool, never pointing fingers at the refs, letting his team’s play do the talking. But things started to change during the WNBA Finals. It began subtly in Game 3…but by Game 4, things boiled over. A season clouded by officiating drama ended fittingly, with the one guy who’d kept quiet all year finally snapping in the final game of 2025.

With 2:41 left in the third quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts finally lost his cool. It started when Kahleah Copper drove to the basket, absorbed contact from Dana Evans, and didn’t get a whistle. Tibbetts clapped sarcastically in referee Gina Cross’ direction — a sign of what was coming. On the next play, Monique Akoa Makani was called for a foul while defending Evans, and that was the breaking point.

Tibbetts stormed toward Cross, shouting and pointing back to the previous no-call, and seconds later, the official hit him with two quick technicals and tossed him out of the game.

Commentator Rebecca Lobo was clearly unhappy with how the refs handled the situation.“No, he should not be ejected for that,” she said on the broadcast. “He was in the official’s face, but I did not find him to be doing it in an aggressive or threatening manner in any way. He was frustrated, yes.” Friday was the second straight game Tibbetts picked up a technical, but this one was different. It was his first ejection of the postseason and of his entire coaching career.

Tibbetts never got an explanation from the officials after the call. He said the words that earned him his first technical “weren’t repeatable,” yet somehow, he earned a second and was forced to leave the game. He called his ejection one of the “weakest ever” decisions and labeled it “bullsh–”

“It’s embarrassing. I feel bad that I was tossed,” Tibbetts said after the Phoenix Mercury’s 97-86 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. “I’ve been around this game a long time. I think it’s one of the weakest double technicals ever. I didn’t even know that I got the second one, to be completely honest.” Associate head coach Kristi Tolliver took over for Tibbetts, but despite her efforts, the Mercury couldn’t mount a comeback or salvage the series.

Official Roy Gulbeyan later confirmed that Tibbetts had used profanity after the foul on Akoa Makani, which triggered the first technical. Following that, he aggressively confronted Gina Cross, yelling at her, which earned him the second technical and led to his ejection. You can understand why Tibbetts was frustrated–losing the finals 4-0 is never something a coach wants on their resume, and being tactically outclassed by Becky Hammon throughout the series only added to the frustration.

Regardless of the final outcome, the Phoenix Mercury head coach remained proud of his team and had a heartfelt message for them.

Nate Tibbetts has a message for his Mercury players

In the post-game press conference, Tibbetts was quick to congratulate the Aces, noting their incredible 25-3 run to close out the season–a feat made even more impressive given they were below .500 at one point. But the Mercury head coach didn’t stop there; he also had a message for his own team.

“I’m extremely proud of our group. I mean, I just told them, this is a special year. It’s one of the funnest years I’ve ever had in basketball. For a new group to come together the way that we did and compete just says a lot about who’s in our locker room–everyone involved. Everyone bought into the vision, into restructuring the group. I think the X Factor, the city of Phoenix, and the state of Arizona really got behind our team, just because we play the right way, we play together, and we play tough. I’m going to remember this year forever,” he said.

From starting the season with just one returning starter to replacing 10 players and still finishing with 27 wins–their best mark since 2015 and only the second time in franchise history they’ve surpassed 25 victories–it’s been a truly remarkable season for the Mercury. Perhaps next season, they’ll use this as fuel to come back stronger and claim the championship? Well, only time will tell!