Cheryl Reeve wins record fifth WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2026

Cheryl Reeve has been named the WNBA Coach of the Year for 2026, breaking the league record with this fifth career win. The Minnesota Lynx finished the regular season with the league’s best record, 33-11, despite low expectations at the start of the season.

As Bleacher Report reports, Reeve received 40 of the 74 first-place votes in the election; Natalie Nakase of the Golden State Valkyries ranked second with 20 votes, while Washington Mystics coach Sydney Johnson came third.

The Minnesota team achieved success despite pre-season challenges: two key frontcourt players, Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, were transferred to the Dallas Wings, while Natisha Hiedeman left for the Seattle Storm. Napheesa Collier underwent ankle surgery during the summer, which kept her off the court until the end of July.

However, under Reeve’s guidance, new names and significant comebacks stood out. Olivia Miles shone as a rookie and her progress is partly linked to the coach’s work, while Natasha Howard returned as an All-Star for the first time since 2022, posting a career field-goal percentage of 59.8 percent that helped fill the gap left by the departures. Natalie Nakase did excellent work with the Valkyries, who made the playoffs in their first two seasons and in 2026 recorded a nine-win improvement; while Johnson led the league’s youngest team to 28 wins this season.

Although Nakase and Johnson had strong cases for the award, Reeve’s win is considered deserved for the team’s achievements and the management of challenges during the season; Bleacher Report notes that the voting result reflects this consensus.