Damian Lillard and Isaiah Thomas Accuse the WNBA of ‘Cheating’ to Make NY Liberty Champions Against the Lynx

The New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals to get their hands on the franchise’s first Championship trophy. Even though both teams fought valiantly, notable basketball personalities like Damian Lillard and Isaiah Thomas have questioned the Liberty’s Overtime win at Barclays Center.

Lillard and Thomas joined many fans in accusing the WNBA of rigging the game in favor of the New York franchise. Both called out the referees’ suspicious decisions in the second half, which saw many shocking calls benefitting the Liberty.

After the game ended, Dame took to X to voice his thoughts on what transpired in the all-important Game 5. He wrote, “Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half boy. Great game.”

While Lillard only alluded to the alleged bias that was supposedly at play, Thomas didn’t hold back from calling out what he saw.

The Pistons legend tweeted, “They lowkey cheated for NY but I get it lol.”

Now, the cheating allegations didn’t appear out of thin air. There were several instances that raised such suspicions, like the stark difference in the number of free throws given to the two teams. The Liberty received 25 free throws throughout the game, making 21 of them. On the other hand, the Lynx were limited to only eight, out of which they made seven.

This kind of difference is fishy in a five-point game.

The fouls that were called on the Lynx players were too outrageous for the fans to digest, especially considering this was the WNBA Finals.  Another major incident that enraged the fans was when Breanna Stewart’s obvious travel wasn’t called. On the same play, a foul was called on the Lynx when Stewart was clearly not fouled.

There is no conclusive evidence to prove that the game was rigged in the Liberty’s favor. So, everyone voicing their opinions against what transpired is simply speaking from their understanding of the game and what they saw. In that scenario, it’s tough to argue against two professional athletes who believe that there were external factors at play.

In addition to that, the Liberty winning the title over Minnesota is certainly a more lucrative outcome. New York is a much bigger market compared to its competitors and Joe Tsai and his family have put a lot of money into the Liberty. The franchise boasts superstars like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, who can help the league bank on this victory with their celebrity status.

However, all the allegations are still mere conjectures and we can’t say definitively without proof that the league would go so far to get the more preferable outcome. The bottom line is that the New York Liberty have won their first title. Rigged or not, the record books will show that they are the 2024 Champs.