Chicago Sky fire coach Teresa Weatherspoon after 1 season

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Sky fired coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one season despite having two of the WNBA's most promising rookies.

The Sky confirmed the decision Friday, a day after two newspapers reported the move.

“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 and operating chairman Nadi Rawlinson said in a statement. “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."

Chicago finished 13-27 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018, even with significant contributions from rookie post players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The next coach will be the team's fourth since the Sky won the WNBA championship in 2021.

Weatherspoon's firing could affect the future of Reese, who along with Indiana's Caitlin Clark helped draw record ratings and attendance figures after taking their rivalry from the colleges to the pros.

Reese expressed her support for Weatherspoon in a post on X, saying she was “heartbroken” and “lost for words.” She called the coach “an unsung hero in my life” and added: “You didn’t deserve this but I can’t thank you enough. I love you Tspoon. @Finisher_11.”

Reese likely would have set the league record for rebounds in a season had she not missed Chicago’s final six games because of a wrist injury. That didn't stop her from setting several other marks. She averaged a league-record 13.1 rebounds, and her 26 double-doubles were the most by a rookie. Reese and Weatherspoon also had a connection, having been coached by Kim Mulkey.

The Sky hired Naismith Hall of Famer Weatherspoon in mid-October 2023 after going 18-22 and losing in the first round of the playoffs. Former coach and general manager James Wade left in the middle of the season to take an assistant coaching job with the Toronto Raptors and was replaced on an interim basis by Emre Vatanseyer.

A few weeks after hiring Weatherspoon, the Sky promoted Jeff Pagliocca to general manager. The new regime did what it could to put Chicago in position to get Cardoso and Reese.

In early February, the Sky dealt 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury for four draft picks, including the No. 3 choice. They acquired the No. 8 pick from Los Angeles two weeks later and traded up a spot with Minnesota.

The Sky took Cardoso with the No. 3 pick after she led South Carolina to a perfect season and the NCAA championship. Reese, the LSU star, was selected seventh overall.

Weatherspoon returned to the WNBA after working with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans since 2019. She first was a player development coach and then an assistant starting in 2020. The team released her this past June.

Weatherspoon had a stellar playing career with the New York Liberty, earning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honors in each the league’s first two seasons. She led the Liberty to the Finals four times, the last in 2002. ___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The Associated Press