Cheryl Reeve has been one of the leading candidates for the WNBA Coach of the Year award all season, following the impressive performance the Minnesota Lynx have put together throughout the 2026 regular season. After finishing with a league-best 33-11 record and securing the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, that award finally came, and it did so in a rather emotional fashion.

As shared by the WNBA on X, the award was officially presented to coach Reeve during the Lynx’s practice by her own son, Oliver Knox-Reeve, who congratulated his mother on the honor. It was quite a special moment, with the celebration also involving the team and Reeve’s wife, Carley Knox.

Reacting to the award, Reeve acknowledged that the recognition was the result of a collective effort involving everyone around the Lynx. However, she also emphasized that her focus has always remained on being the best she can be each day and helping the team do the same, rather than chasing individual awards.

“You don’t set out every day saying, hey, I want an award of any kind,” Reeve said in the clip the WNBA posted.

“But you set out every day to just be your very best, sharing those same things with the team. You can have goals to win games, but you’re really focused on the daily process. And so I don’t really think much about awards like this.”

“It’s overwhelming because it’s just the amount of work, and it’s just so much more than one person. You know, they gave me joy. A lot of joy is what they brought out of me. And then when you hit tough times, they bring out that competitive, passionate, fiery side. So they’ve seen it all. I’ve just loved every step of it with this group. This is an award for all of us, not just me,” she added.

Cheryl Reeve led the team to a 33-11 record this season, heading into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Beyond simply finishing at the top of the standings, it was also quite a season for the Lynx. Notably, they were absolute warriors on the road, setting the all-time league record with 18 road victories. They also finished near the top of the league in almost every major category, ranking second in the WNBA in Net Rating at +9.0 and third in Offensive Rating at 113.4. They also went on a historic 17-1 run over a seven-week stretch where they looked nearly unbeatable.

This marks the second consecutive year that the Lynx have finished as the No. 1 seed. In 2025, they also claimed the top seed, finishing the regular season with a 34-10 record. However, Natalie Nakase of the Golden State Valkyries ended up winning the 2025 Coach of the Year award after guiding the expansion team to a playoff berth in its historic inaugural season.

Of course, it was also an amazing year for Coach Nakase this season, guiding the Valkyries to a second-place finish. However, this time around, the award went to Reeve after she guided Minnesota to another league-best regular-season record and the top seed in the playoffs.

By taking home the 2026 award, Cheryl Reeve has now extended her own league record by winning her fifth Coach of the Year trophy. That was, however, not the only major record she set this season. In July, she also became the all-time regular-season coaching wins leader in WNBA history, reaching 380 victories at the time, and she finished the regular season with 397 career regular-season wins.

While there’s already plenty for Reeve to celebrate, she’ll still have her eyes on the ultimate accolade: guiding the Lynx to the WNBA championship. They already lost Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs to the New York Liberty, falling 91-75. They will be looking to bounce back in the second game on Tuesday, with their season on the line.