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In a surprising move, the Chicago Sky have fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after only one season, according to Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times.
One detractor of the move: Sky star Angel Reese, who posted a lengthy statement on X in which she endorsed Weatherspoon as a coach and said she “didn’t deserve this.”
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
Weatherspoon, a Hall of Famer as a player, was hired less than a year ago, on Oct. 10, 2023. She joined the Sky after a stint as an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
Per the Sun-Times, Sky players were outwardly supportive of Weatherspoon during the season, but a disconnect was apparent during their exit interviews. Multiple players reportedly noted the team’s changing play style through the year and mentioned the learning curve of a first-year head coach.
The Sky embraced a rebuild last offseason
The Sky just finished the regular season with a record of 13-27, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and posting their worst winning percentage since their inaugural season in 2006. Not many were expecting them to do much better, however, as the team was going through a rebuilding year.
After a first-round exit and the firing of head coach James Wade last season, the Sky hoped Weatherspoon could lead a roster led by franchise star Kahleah Copper back to the WNBA Finals, which the team won in 2021. Copper, however, requested a trade after the team failed to sign its top free agent targets, which included Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, according to the Sun-Times.
The Sky opted to trade Copper to the Phoenix Mercury and embrace a full rebuild. Former All-Star Courtney Williams was allowed to walk in free agency and Marina Mabrey was later traded away during the season.
With those veterans gone, the Sky focused on young talent, particularly Reese and No. 3 overall pick Kamilla Cardoso, as well as reclamation project Chennedy Carter. The team didn’t win enough to make the eight-team playoff field in a league of 12, but Reese did establish herself as one of the faces of the league, setting a WNBA record with 13.1 rebounds per game.
It apparently wasn’t enough for the Sky, which is now looking for its fourth head coach in the span of three seasons.
