KARE 11: Rep. Angie Craig uses House floor to call out WNBA after controversial finish to finals
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — It's been nine months since the Minnesota Lynx fell in overtime to the New York Liberty in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals after a controversial call sent the game into the extra session.
Lynx forward Alanna Smith was called for a foul in the waning moments of regulation, sending Breanna Stewart, a two-time WNBA MVP, to the line with a chance to tie the game.
Stewart hit both free throws, and the Liberty edged the Lynx in overtime for their first championship in team history.
Following the game, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said the game was stolen, and on Monday, Rep. Angie Craig had a similar message while on the U.S. House floor.
"Minnesota didn't lose Game 5," Craig said. "I was there in New York. The Liberty didn't win, the WNBA gave it to them."
Craig and New York Rep. Dan Goldman had a friendly wager with the loser having to wear the winning team's jersey while formally congratulating the squad on the House floor. Instead, Craig used her time on the floor to talk about "the phantom foul."
"Let's stop pretending what happened in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals was just a bad call. It wasn't," Craig said. "The Minnesota Lynx clawed their way through the playoffs. They defied the odds. They outworked every team and every narrative. And in the final seconds of a championship game – on the biggest stage – they didn't get outplayed, they got erased."
Craig also brought up the dress that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert wore that night.
"A tidy storyline for the league office and league Commissioner who literally wore the New York City skyline on her dress that night. And Minnesota? We were the wrong script," Craig said. "Too gritty. Too real. Too inconvenient.”
Craig also took time to address the pregame shirts worn by the WNBA All-Stars over the weekend, echoing the statements made by the players.
"The league talks about fairness," Craig said. "The league talks about lifting women up. Pay them what they deserve if you want to lift women up in the WNBA."