Cheryl Reeve channeled Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point pose after breaking the WNBA wins record

Cheryl Reeve had just coached her 380th career win Wednesday night, and her players knew exactly what the moment called for. So Reeve grabbed a stat sheet with “380” written on it and held it up like Wilt Chamberlain did after scoring 100 points back in 1962. The only difference? There’s video of this one.

The Minnesota Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 86-80 at Mohegan Sun Arena, pushing Reeve past Mike Thibault for the most regular-season wins in WNBA history. Thibault coached the Sun and the Washington Mystics. His son Eric is an assistant on Reeve’s staff.

Reeve is now the league’s winningest coach. She also holds the record for playoff wins with 50 and has four championships, tied with Van Chancellor for the most all time. Chancellor built the Houston Comets dynasty that kicked off the WNBA. Reeve built the Lynx one that dominated the 2010s.

The locker room scene

The Lynx players posted video of the celebration on social media. Reeve was all smiles in the middle of it, soaking it in with a team that clearly wanted this win for their coach as much as themselves. The 59-year-old was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame last month in Knoxville.

What Reeve said about the record

She did the typical coach thing and downplayed the personal milestone. But she also admitted it meant something.

“I appreciate it immensely. I just wanted to win the game. I just don’t think this way,” Reeve told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. “So many people that have been on this journey with me for so long, even the new ones, to share it with them was incredibly meaningful.”

That sounds about right for a coach whose career has been defined by team success. She’s the longest-tenured coach in league history, and every recent season has been framed around whether the Lynx can get back to the WNBA Finals. They last won it all in 2017. But the foundation Reeve built hasn’t cracked.

Minnesota plays the New York Liberty on Saturday. That’s a chance for win No. 381. And if the Lynx win, odds are someone in the locker room will have another photo idea ready to go.