Cheryl Reeve Claps Back at Becky Hammon's WNBA Co-Award Stance With 5-Word Message

Becky Hammon was bewildered by how Wilson and Smith were co-winners, which she made clear on Thursday by saying, "I'm a little confused by the 'Co.' Because Napheesa [Collier], you guys said, was the best defensive player last year, and now she's not? I don't know. I don't know how [the voting] came to a tie, but apparently it did. To me, there's no comparison.

"A white-tailed deer looks really good until an elk walks in the room," she added, suggesting that Wilson is the elk and Smith is the white-tailed deer in this metaphor.

Cheryl Reeve Retorts Becky Hammon's Deer and Elk Comment

It didn't take long for Reeve to issue a response to Hammon's comment, which came during an award ceremony for Smith on September 19.

When asked what Smith winning this award says to young players, Reeve responded, "I guess you can go from being cut to DPOY, is what it says. And [Smith] just told her story. I mean, it's all in how you handle situations, and a strong belief in yourself. Knowing who you are, I think that's big. [Smith's] journey, I mean, sometimes you have to go through that to be able to reach this. And so I'm just proud that Alanna Smith is a Minnesota Lynx, and super proud that this honor was bestowed upon her.

"We love our white deer," Reeve concluded, per an X post from @phee4three.

While Reeve didn't include the "tailed" part of Hammon's comment, it was clearly a clap back to what the Aces head coach said.

One would assume this isn't the last time these two coaches will have words about what the other says, especially if they meet in the 2025 WNBA Finals.