The Chicago Sky have fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season, according to Annie Costabile. Weatherspoon, who was hired less than a year ago, went 13-27 in her first year in charge, as the Sky missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Weatherspoon had spent multiple seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans before being hired to lead the Sky. A Hall of Famer and former two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, she was hailed for her player development skills and hard-nosed style, but it was clear throughout the season that she was learning on the job and there was disconnect at times between the coaching staff and the players.
Still, she had the support of the team’s biggest star, rookie forward Angel Reese, who issued a statement on social media in the wake of the news:
I’m heartbroken,” Reese wrote. “I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman 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 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. 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. I’ll never question God why he brings people in my life and takes them away from me in the capacity that I need them but i’ve always believed everyone is in your life for a reason and a season. You were the best reason & season. You didn’t deserve this but I can’t thank you enough. I love you Tspoon.”
CBS Sports will continue updating this breaking news story.
