The Sky have fired coach Teresa Weatherspoon less than a year after her hire, according to multiple league sources.
In her first year, Weatherspoon led the Sky to a 13-27 record, resulting in the franchise’s first missed postseason since 2018. The team is expected to make a formal announcement on Friday.
The biggest question left to answer is why?
Players were outwardly supportive of Weatherspoon throughout the year. However, during exit interviews, it became apparent there was some disconnect. Multiple players noted the changing play style throughout the year and mentioned the learning curve of being a first-year coach.
Compounding Weatherspoon’s coaching inexperience were injuries. The Sky played just two games with a completely health roster.
The impact this will have on the Sky’s roster is already becoming clear. Sky rookie Angel Reese took to social media on Thursday night to express her adamant support of Weatherspoon.
The value she placed on playing for Weatherspoon was apparent all season. She often referenced how they were both coached by four-time NCAA championship-winning coach Kim Mulkey. Weatherspoon’s firing will undoubtedly impact Reese’s future in Chicago.
“I can’t imagine playing for the Sky without [Spoon,]” Reese told the Sun-Times. “She’s the one reason I wanted to com here.”
Less than three years removed from the team’s 2021 title, the Sky’s free fall continues.
Following the Sky’s championship season, the Sky saw an exodus of players that included their longest-tenured player Courtney Vandersloot. In an effort to stop the hemorrhage, former coach/general manager James Wade executed a trade for guard Marina Mabrey that depleted the Sky’s draft assets.
Four months later he resigned to take a job as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Raptors. Wade’s lead assistant, Emre Vatansever, replaced him on an interim basis. At one point he believed that the interim tag would be removed. However, after the Sky were swept by the Aces in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, he was fired to make way for Weatherspoon.
When Weatherspoon was hired last October, the franchise touted her as the coach to lead them into a new era alongside Kahleah Copper, the team’s former franchise star and Finals MVP. Copper requested a trade after the Sky failed to sign any of their top free-agent targets, including guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and forward Nneka Ogwumike.