WNBA launches investigation after officials dispute Breanna Stewart allegation
WNBA launches investigation after officials dispute Breanna Stewart allegation
Rory Robinson Fri, October 9, 2026 at 9:18 PM UTC
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The WNBA will investigate Breanna Stewart's timeout dispute with league officials -Credit:Getty (Getty)WNBA officials are investigating the Liberty-Dream reset timeout controversy after Breanna Stewart said she was wrongly told New York had no reset left in Game 2 of their playoff semifinal matchup
After Breanna Stewart said the New York Liberty were told they had no reset timeout before the final whistle of Game 2's semifinal playoff matchup against the Atlanta Dream, a league official's report said otherwise.
The WNBA is now stepping in to resolve the dispute after launching an investigation into the "frustrating" closing-seconds exchange before the Liberty's 101-98 overtime loss to Atlanta in Game 2 of the semifinals.
The league's probe has yet to clarify its full plans to review Stewart's ending sequence. New York filed its own inquiry after the game, but the 101-98 score will not change since the final buzzer sealed the result.
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The drama happened in the last 4.3 seconds of overtime, with the Dream holding a three-point lead. Angel Reese was at the free-throw line while Stewie spoke with officials.
New York still had a reset timeout, at least according to the league, but Stewart says referee Kevin Fahy initially denied it. The IX Sports Podcast's Jackie Powell initially reported the investigation.
Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said multiple members of his staff were told the Liberty did not have a reset.
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The official pool report said crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens said Stewart stood beside Fahy when he confirmed with another official that New York still had the reset, and no official told Liberty staff otherwise.
Alternate ESPN footage shows Stewart asking Fahy, "Do we have a reset?" before turning to the other officials. Fahy's response before the final possession did not appear on tape.
The footage supported the Liberty forward's claim that she sought real-time clarification for the in-game adjustment. However, it did not clearly settle the dispute.
Stewart explained the final sequence postgame -Credit:YouTube: @WNBA
The Liberty forward said she initially felt the WNBA put her in a position where she could appear dishonest to fans, as New York is one loss away from playoff elimination.
"I really don't want to talk much about this; my main focus is Game 3, but what I will say is you want to have respect between players and refs. In order to have respect, you need to build trust," Stewart said.
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"Building trust comes with being honest. Putting me in a position to question my integrity is really disappointing," she continued.
"I know who I am and what I stand for and what I’ve heard, and that’s that, and I’m going to continue to move on." The Liberty face elimination on their home floor for Game 3 on Friday night.
Source: “AOL Sports”
