Becky Hammon: ‘This is out of control’

In Sunday’s game, Las Vegas Aces rookie Aaliyah Nye suffered a hit to the face versus the Phoenix Mercury.

Although her hit to the face didn’t land her in concussion protocol, a similar situation landed her teammate, A’ja Wilson on the injury list.

Wilson has missed two games so far while in concussion protocol after being elbowed in the face on June 11.

Aces coach Becky Hammon has reached her limit frankly. In the post-game presser on Sunday, Hammon voiced her frustration with the officiating inconsistencies, and she didn’t hold back.

Hammon isn’t the only one that has taken notice. “The problem that a lot of us have with the referees is it’s either very physical and they are calling everything or they’re missing calls,” Rachel DeMita recently explained.

“There seems to be inconsistencies in how the referees are calling certain games,” DeMita added, citing a growing list of injured stars-including Wilson, Paige Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Tiffany Hayes, and Shakira Austin. Hammon, however, refuses to stay quiet on the recent uptick.

Hammon unleashed her fury, “A’ja took a huge shot, and I believe it should have been a flagrant two-an automatic ejection.”

Dearica Hamby’s elbow has left the Aces without Wilson.

“A wind-up elbow or anything similar-what exactly qualifies as a flagrant two? It seems like the only way to get one is to throw and land a punch,” Hammon argued.

She specifically criticized what qualifies in a flagrant foul calling.

“I feel like some of these are dangerous plays and have to be looked at. I think, you know, my team’s going through it, but other teams have [also] had concussions.” she pointed out.

The inconsistency in officiating as of late is sparking a debate around the league. It remains to be seen if the WNBA will take a look at these specific cases and make some rule changes or leave things the way they are.