Fans Furious With WNBA Officials For Ejecting Mercury HC In Finals Loss to A’ja Wilson’s Aces – “We Are Not Here To See The Refs”

Star forward A'ja Wilson and her Las Vegas Aces were up 3-0 against the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals.

Fans Furious With WNBA Officials For Ejecting Mercury HC In Finals Loss to A’ja Wilson’s Aces – “We Are Not Here To See The Refs”

Mercury HC Nate Tibbetts and A'ja Wilson (Image via FirstSportz)

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A’ja Wilson and her Las Vegas Aces laced up to face the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals, knowing they could look to seal their third championship in four years.

They had an advantage in their hands, as the home team would play without All-Star forward Satou Sabally, after she sustained a concussion in their Game 3 loss.

In that game, Wilson delivered a Finals masterclass, leading WNBA fans to believe the series was all but over. However, the Mercury was not going to give up and vowed to fight until the end.

After lagging behind in the first two quarters, the home team decided to step up and save their season. It was up to their other three prominent players, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Kahleah Copper, to save their season.

The latter went on a heater and started to help her Mercury reduce the deficit. In the midst of her run, the 4-time All-Star tried to attack the rim, hoping it would give them the best chance at drawing fouls, while also scoring efficiently.

Late in the third quarter, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected from the game. It became apparent that referee Gina Cross issued the 48-year-old a double technical, which instantly became his marching orders.

Replays revealed that Tibbetts got into Cross’ face, arguing with her about a missed call. The official immediately issued both technical fouls and pointed to the exit tunnels. This marks the first time ever that a head coach has been tossed in the WNBA Finals.

Fans fume at WNBA officiating for impeding Mercury in elimination game

WNBA fans knew that A’ja Wilson and her Las Vegas Aces had the upper hand in the 2025 WNBA Finals. They were playing at an elite level, to which the Phoenix Mercury seemingly did not have an answer.

However, there was still hope of the underdogs mounting a comeback, which they hoped would make this a proper battle of the best, instead of heading to a sweep. In the closing minutes of Game 3, the Mercury staged a stunning rally that could have upset the Aces.

Fans hoped they would see another such rally extend this best-of-7 series. However, the lopsided officiating was evident throughout the game, as A’ja Wilson was getting a lot of foul calls. Then, for the officials to toss Nate Tibbetts out in an elimination game felt as if the officials wanted to impose their will. As per the rules, if a coach puts their hands on the official, they can eject them.

Here, fans feel Gina Cross should have kept the spirit of competition in check. They believe this again another example of how bad the officiating has been in the WNBA. Check out their enraged reactions below:

A’ja Wilson finished the game with 19 free throw attempts, converting 17 of them. That happens to be the exact number of free throws the entire Phoenix Mercury attempted. This somewhere proves that Nate Tibbetts was probably right to be enraged with the officials.

A’ja Wilson and Aces sweep Mercury to win third title in 4 years

When A’ja Wilson and her Las Vegas Aces struggled through the first half of the season, many felt they were about to disappoint again. Their struggles with chemistry and their personnel were deemed to be a problem that could plague them all year long.

Las Vegas Aces with their 2025 WNBA title
Las Vegas Aces with their 2025 WNBA title (Image via WNBA/X)

Then came the embarrassing blowout to the Minnesota Lynx, which forced them to take a hard look at themselves. Wilson went on a tear, enjoying the freedom the lineup tweaks gave her, and led the Aces to 16 straight wins.

They continued on that trajectory throughout the playoffs, even overcoming a minor scare at the hands of the shorthanded Indiana Fever. In the Finals, Wilson made sure there was no repeat of that situation and dominated from the start.

She scored 31 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots to lead her Aces to win their third WNBA title in four years, marking them as the most dominant team of this era.

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