Report: Sky fire Weatherspoon after 1 season
The Chicago Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after guiding the team to a 13-27 record in her first season, sources told Annie Costabile of The Chicago Sun-Times.
The Sky failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in five years in what was viewed as a rebuilding year. Despite the team's record, Chicago remained in postseason contention until the final day of the regular season.
Forward Angel Reese seemed to comment on the news on social media.
I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this women meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me. Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black women in sports when nobody believes in…
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 27, 2024
During exit interviews, Sky players brought up having to change their style of play throughout the season, according to Costabile.
Weatherspoon was hired after serving four years with the New Orleans Pelicans, working up to become an assistant coach with the NBA franchise. The Hall of Famer played eight seasons in the WNBA, winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1997 and '98 and reaching five straight All-Star Games between 1999 and '03.
The Sky will now search for a fourth head coach since July 2023. Championship-winning bench boss James Wade left the franchise for the Toronto Raptors during the middle of last season. Chicago hired Emre Vatansever as interim head coach after Wade's departure but brought in Weatherspoon during the offseason.
Chicago will have two first-round picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft after trading sharpshooting guard Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun.
The Sky are the second team to require a new head coach, as the Los Angeles Sparks and Curt Miller mutually parted ways earlier this week.