Source: David E. Klutho / Getty
The Chicago Sky finished the 2024 season with a lackluster record of 13-27 and eventually missed the WNBA playoffs.
The Sky is outfitted with rookie Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, who are still finding their footing as professionals but show flashes of promise of being cornerstones of the team’s future.
Still, the Sky must have a win-now attitude, and after less than a year at the helm, head coach Teresa Weatherspoon has been fired. Before being hired on Oct. 10, 2023, she was an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
The team released a statement following the firing, with co-owner Nadia Rawlins noting that while they’re proud of what Weatherspoon has brought to the organization, they’re ready to move in a different direction as they kick off a head coach search.
“After careful consideration, we have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to part ways with Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon. 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,” the team’s statement read. “We remain steadfastly committed to being a playoff and championship contender every year, and we will be embarking on a thorough search for our next head coach.”
Apparently, the team is really feeling the loss, and rookie Angel Reese spoke out about her relationship with Weatherspoon during a major transitional period in her life and how sad she is to be losing her.
“I’m heartbroken. 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 woman 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,” she begins.
She goes on to explain that she doesn’t understand why she’s been kicked out of the organization but trusts God’s path. Then, in the end, she makes it clear she disagrees with the top brass’ decision, saying, “You didn’t deserve this, but I can’t thank you enough.”
After her first year in the league, Reese may have missed the playoffs, but she now holds the WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles with 15 and the most of a rookie ever at 23. Reese has also proved herself to be a bucket-getter, becoming the fastest WNBA player to score 250 points, 200 rebounds, and the most rebounds in a single season.
Fans have been critical of her expressing her opinions anytime she opens her mouth or goes up against rival Caitlin Clark. So, X was up in arms when she propped up her now former coach and recent tweets about the media portraying her as a villain and how she uses her podcast to express her unfiltered opinion.
See the reactions below.
