The Chicago Sky confirmed on Friday that it has parted ways with head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season with the team. The Hall of Famer was hired last October, replacing James Wade who stepped down as the Sky head coach and general manager on July 1, 2023, to join the NBA’s Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach. In her single season as the Sky’s coach, Weatherspoon led her squad to a 13-27 record. The young Chicago team missed the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2018.
“After careful consideration, we have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to part ways with head coach Teresa Weatherspoon,” Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson stated in a release. “We are deeply appreciative of Coach TSpoon’s contributions to the Chicago Sky, and the energy and passion she brought to the head coaching role. We thank her for inspiring a competitive, resilient spirit across the team, synonymous with Chicago Sky basketball.”
Prior to coaching in the WNBA, Weatherspoon was a star collegiate athlete at Louisiana Tech, leading the program to the 1988 NCAA championship. She was one of the WNBA’s original players, playing for the New York Liberty from 1997 to 2003 before joining the Los Angeles Sparks in 2004. During her professional career, Weatherspoon was a five-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Following her playing career, she coached at her alma mater Louisiana Tech from 2008-2014, and most recently spent four seasons with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans as an assistant coach.
Sky rookie Angel Reese shared on X that she was “heartbroken” about the news. “I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life,” Reese wrote. “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 you. You had a tough job. All the crazy circumstances that we went through this year & when your back was against the wall, you always believed.”
Reese continued, “I came to Chicago because of YOU. You were an unsung hero in my life. We built a relationship in a short amount of time that will last forever.”
Reese had a strong rookie season under Weatherspoon’s leadership and set a league record with 15 consecutive double-doubles. Reese also had 26 double-doubles this season, which is the most by a rookie in the history of the WNBA. She also played in the 2024 WNBA All-Star game.
This will be the second consecutive offseason during which the Chicago franchise will be searching for a new head coach.