Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve acknowledged it would be difficult to play Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Sparks after two Minnesota lawmakers were shot and one was killed in what Gov. Tim Walz described as "targeted political violence."
"It seems pretty meaningless, certainly, hitting this close to home," an emotional Reeve said Saturday morning.
A man posing as a police officer shot and killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband early Saturday, while a second lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife were wounded when they were shot multiple times by the gunman.
Police were searching for the man responsible for the attacks on the Democratic legislators. Writings found inside a fake police car recovered at one of the shooting scenes mentioned the names of multiple lawmakers and other officials, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
The Vikings and Twins also released statements expressing remorse over Saturday's shootings. The Vikings said Hortman had been "a friend of the Vikings for more than 15 years and a tremendous state leader who worked tirelessly to make Minnesota a better place for all residents."
Reeve said there was no consideration to cancel the Saturday afternoon game, which had been intended in part as a celebration of Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus, who was inducted in 2024.
"Today's a tough day all around. Basketball is what we do. We'll go out there and do what we do," she said. "But God knows what, when our game is over, God knows what we're going to come off the court and learn what's happening. It's sickening."
The Lynx won 101-78.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
