Being a professional athlete is usually considered to be the toughest job in sports. But many would argue that even tougher is being a coach. As a player, you get to control the outcome of a game to some extent. However, as a coach, you can do as much preparation, film study, planning, and strategizing, but eventually, the outcome is out of your hands. It is in this scenario that you need someone who is both disciplined and mentally strong. Luckily for the Minnesota Lynx, they have someone exactly like that in Cheryl Reeve.

Ever since joining the Minnesota Lynx as head coach in 2010, she has ushered in an era of utter dominance. Since she took over the charge, the Lynx have won four championships and seven finals appearances. Her impact on women’s basketball is not just limited to the WNBA. Since December 2021, Cheryl Reeve has been acting as the head coach of the USA Women’s Basketball team as well. In her debut appearance as a head coach in the Summer Olympics, she coached Team USA to a gold medal.

Sure, achievements in the WNBA are important and valuable. But being the daughter of an Air Force veteran, we can’t imagine anything being more important than leading her country. With that being said, let’s dive deep and learn more about Cheryl Reeve’s parents.

Who is Cheryl Reeve’s Mother, Rae Reeve?

Cheryl Reeve’s mother is Rae Reeve. Rae Reeve is from the New Jersey area. Although Rae Reeve usually prefers to stay out of the limelight, in the rare interviews that she gives, she has spoken highly about how motivated and competitive Cheryl Reeve was from a young age. In an interview with the Star Tribune, Rae said, “She was always self-motivated. Always driven to be the best, no matter what…. And of course, she wanted to outdo her brother.” 

Who is Cheryl Reeve’s Father, Larry Reeve?

Cheryl Reeve’s father is Larry Reeve. Larry was an Air Force veteran and was posted to many parts of the country in the line of his duty. He also served in the Vietnam War. He was first posted in Omaha (where Cheryl was born), and after that, he was stationed in Georgia. After three years in Georgia, Larry Reeve was assigned to Alaska. Just as the family was preparing for the move, his orders changed at the last moment, and he was re-assigned to Japan. It was in that moment that, despite his deep love for serving his nation, he prioritized his family and decided to retire after serving 20 years.

In an interview with the WNBA, Cheryl recounted the incident. “That’s when he made the decision. I was in middle school. I had two brothers; my oldest and I were in middle school, and the other was a little bit younger. He made the decision to retire.”

Speaking on his father’s influence on her coaching career, she said, “My dad was a disciplinarian. It was black or white, there was no in between. If it’s a rule, it’s a rule. If it says don’t do that, you don’t do that. If someone is in a position of authority, if they say it, it goes. I think that helped us in our upbringing. and that attention to detail is something all three of us carry with us in our professional lives.”

Unfortunately, Larry Reeve was never able to see Cheryl be a head coach in the WNBA. After a two-year battle with ill health, Larry Reeve passed away at the age of 68 in 2008.

These principles are well visible in Cheryl Reeve’s coaching philosophy as well. During the selection for the 2024 Olympics squad, she received a lot of backlash for leaving out Caitlin Clark. However, she stuck to her guns and eventually silenced everyone with the gold medal. But the controversy seems to have continued after Caitlin Clark traded her as a coach for the 2025 WNBA All-Star team.

Does Cheryl Reeve Have Siblings?

Yes, Cheryl Reeve has two brothers; one elder and one younger. Her older brother’s name is Larry Reeve Jr., and her younger brother is Tom Reeve. Although both brothers like to keep their lives private, Tom also participated in the interview with the Star Tribune. Like Cheryl, Tom Reeve also emphasized their father’s disciplinarian side. He said, “My dad was in the military and his motto was ‘This is what we need to do, what we’re going to do, and this is how we’ll do it.” 

Tom and Cheryl also told a funny story about their childhood related to Cheryl’s dunk. As a young basketball aficionado, Cheryl Reeve wanted a net for their basketball hoop. Her dad finally agreed and after attaching the net, Cheryl asked her brother for the ball. She then reverse dunked the ball. However, the aftereffects of that dunk would be costly.

Cheryl said, “I hung on the rim and pulled it out of the wall, right out of the house. I came crashing down, and the rim hit me in the head.” Tom then continued the story, “She got up, went in the house, and told my dad, ‘Tom did it.’ We weren’t allowed to play for weeks.”

What are Cheryl Reeve’s Parents’ Ethnicity and Nationality?

Cheryl Reeve’s parents, Larry and Rae Reeve, are are White/Caucasian ethnicity. There are both from the New Jersey area and hold American nationality. Throughout Cheryl and her brother’s childhood, they moved around the country owing to Larry Reeve’s Air Force service. However, after opting to retire, the family settled back in New Jersey.

Even though Larry Reeve was not able to see Cheryl Reeve as a WNBA championship-winning head coach, his values and principles are well represented in everything Cheryl does. And now, with the Minnesota Lynx again heavy favorites for the title, winning a title this year would be yet another validation for the way her parents raised her and her brothers