WNBA: Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever make coaching staff additions

A busy WNBA offseason continues to buzz, with head coaches, new and old, making additions to their staffs:

Whalen, Thibault join Lynx bench

On Saturday, the Minnesota Lynx announced that franchise legend Lindsay Whalen would be returning to the team as an assistant coach. Eric Thibault, recently dismissed as head coach of the Washington Mystics, also will join the staff of head coach Cheryl Reeve.

On the additions of Whalen and Thibault, Reeve said:

I am excited to add both Eric and Lindsay to our coaching staff. Eric has vast experience coaching in the WNBA as both a head and an assistant coach and is a WNBA Champion. Lindsay adds a unique perspective as a Lynx legend and Naismith Hall of Famer. I look forward to working with both in our quest for another WNBA Championship.

According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Reeve had attempted to hire Whalen, who won four titles with the Lynx, two years ago, after her five seasons (2018-23) serving as head coach at her alma mater, Minnesota. On accepting Reeve’s offer this time around, Whalen told ESPN, “It just feels like it’s time to get back, work hard and be a part of a team and a group. It just all felt like the timing was really right.”

Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier offered an appreciative assessment of Whalen’s support of the team from afar and excitement about her formal addition to the staff, saying of Whalen and returning assistant coach Rebekkah Brunson, who also won four championships in Minnesota:

I think it’s what makes us so unique at Minnesota; we have people who’ve been through what we’re going through. They won so many championships in the place they’re coaching and we’re playing at now….I feel super lucky I get to be a part of that.

Both Reeve and Whalen emphasized to ESPN the mentorship role they envision Whalen assuming for Lynx point guard Courtney Williams, with Whalen telling ESPN, “I think having me will really help her take hopefully another step this year into continuing to lead the team and be a successful point guard for the franchise.”

Reeve likewise sees Thibault benefitting the organization’s player development. She also noting his strategic alignment with Minnesota’s preferred playing style, as Thibault’s Mystics, like the Lynx, prioritized five-out offensive basketball in recent seasons. On Thibault’s Washington teams, Reeve told ESPN, “It was very clear the team continued to trust in what they were doing, trusted each other, trusted the leadership of Eric.”

The hires of Whalen and Thibault come after Minnesota lost assistant coach Katie Smith, who headed back to her alma mater, Ohio State, to serve as an assistant coach, and general manager Clare Duewlius, who left to serve as the general manager and executive vice president of Unrivaled.

White fills out staff in Indy

New Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has begun to fill out her bench.

On Tuesday, the organization announced that Karima Christmas-Kelly, an assistant coach in Indiana since 2023, will maintain her role under White. Christmas-Kelly’s husband Austin Kelly, who was an assistant for White with the Connecticut Sun in 2023 and 2024, will also join the Fever staff. Kelly also worked with White when she was the head coach at Vanderbilt, serving as the program’s director of recruiting from 2019 to 2021.

Plum to pass on Unrivaled

On Wednesday, Kelsey Plum announced that she has decided not to participate in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, posting in an Instagram story:

I’ve decided to not take part in the inaugural season of Unrivaled in order to take some more time for myself this offseason. I appreciate the league understanding and being so accommodating. I wish the league and all of the players nothing but the best and I’m excited to watch!

Plum’s decision to prioritize her well being should be applauded. Her team, Laces Basketball Club, certainly will miss her services. With Plum, Laces looked like the best team in the 3×3 professional league. Without her pace pushing, pull-up shooting and dawg mentality, the club might struggle to ascend to the top of league. At minimum, Laces now need a replacement player who can, at minimum, handle the ball and knock down open shots.

What’s women’s sports worth?

Finally, women’s professional sports leagues and teams are being valued. But, are they still being undervalued?

That’s what Wasserman Collective, the women’s sports research arm of Wasserman agency, explores in the report, “The New Economy of Sports – Part II,” which was produced in partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada.

The report finds that the metrics that determine the valuation of men’s sports franchises are ill-equipped to accurately value women’s sports franchises, leading to the undervaluation of women’s professional teams. Wasserman Collective’s revitalized framework, which takes into account the historic underinvestment in women’s sports, suggests the combined valuation of WNBA teams should increase by $1.6 billion over the next three years, with the total valuation of all the league’s team exceeding $4.3 billion. This increased valuation is projected to come from continually increasing viewership and attendance, in addition to expansion franchises.

The report ultimately confirms what already is evident: Women’s sports is a booming business. Wasserman Collective, however, puts more exact numbers on this growth, suggesting that women’s pro sports should not simply celebrate their increased value, but demand to be valued accurately.