"Are the refs on crack?" - WNBA fans bemused as Napheesa Collier outfoxes referees by shooting another player's free throws

Napheesa Collier almost got away with shooting free throws for her teammate in the fourth quarter of the Minnesota Lynx's 85-81 win over the Dallas Wings. Late in the fourth quarter, Bridget Carleton stole a pass from Arike Ogunbowale, who fouled Natisha Hiedeman to stop the Lynx's fast break. Collier tried to dupe the referees by shooting free throws for her teammate, but the Wings caught her.

Napheesa Collier is the leader of the Lynx, one of the three remaining undefeated teams left in the WNBA. The 28-year-old forward was the MVP runner-up last season and took home the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award. She couldn't seal the deal with a championship, though, losing to the New York Liberty 3-2 in the WNBA Finals.

Collier's plan to shoot Hiedeman's free throws fooled the referees long enough that she made the first one. However, DiJonai Carrington and Ogunbowale quickly pointed out that she shouldn't be the one at the free throw line. Collier and the Lynx tried to argue that Ogunbowale's contact was a take foul, allowing them to send whoever they want to the line, but it didn't work.

The officials wiped away the point and put the correct shooter at the line, Hiedeman.

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WNBA fans took to Reddit to share their thoughts on the ploy that Napheesa Collier nearly got away with. To them, the play was entertaining, but one fan asked whether or not the referees were truly paying attention to the play.

"This is unfortunately funny but also scary are the refs on crack?" commented one fan.

"are the refs literally sleepwalking through these games or what," asked another.

"This might be one of the funniest lynx moments of all time," said one Lynx fan, enjoying the moment.

"The WNBA needs to seriously invest in their referee program," suggested another fan "One week in and they are a MESS."

"Everybody was like 'wait a d*** minute' a second too late," another fan commented. "Phee was like 'I cant believe nobody is noticing me.'"

Napheesa Collier's trick has fans concerned about WNBA referees

While the officials were able to correct their mistake with Napheesa Collier trying to shoot her teammate's free throws for her, Wednesday night's confusion gave fans another clip to add to their argument about the league's referees. One fan brought up another call that confused them during the Indiana Fever's game against the Atlanta Dream.

"I didn't think it'd be possible to beat that awful jump ball somehow turning into a free throw call from yesterday's Fever vs Dream game so quickly, but I think this takes the cake," the fan commented. "Like... I don't even know what to say anymore."

Napheesa Collier's free throw confusion brought into question the ability of the WNBA's referees. Fans are upset with how games have been called, but nothing has created a bigger argument than Caitlin Clark's flagrant foul against Angel Reese in their game on Saturday.

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The WNBA has said that they do everything they can to put the most capable officials on the court every game. However fans' complaints about the league's referees are as loud as ever. Luckily for them, the Wings were able to correct the referees' mistake and get the right shooter at the line.

About the author

Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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Edited by Zachary Howell