Sky near deal to hire Hall of Famer Teresa Witherspoon as coach: reports

The Chicago Sky have reportedly made a blockbuster-hire for their next head coach, finalizing a deal to hire Teresa Witherspoon as their new leader.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Tuesday night that the Hall of Famer is finalizing a deal to join the Sky:

Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Weatherspoon – one of best players in WNBA history – spent the past four years as a Pelicans assistant coach. pic.twitter.com/MXjLKBypZU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 11, 2023

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Weatherspoon spent her professional career with the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

She previously served as the head coach of the Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team until 2014, then served as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans for four seasons before joining the Sky.

After winning their first WNBA championship in 2021, the Sky lost in the semifinals in 2022 and then got off to a rough start in 2023, leading to the departure of James Wade as their general manager and head coach.

Emre Vatansever finished the season as the interim coach, with the Sky losing in the first round of the WNBA playoffs to the Las Vegas Aces.