Why did Chicago Sky fire coach Teresa Weatherspoon? Possible reasons explored

The Chicago Sky fired coach Terese Weatherspoon on Thursday, as reported by Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. Weatherspoon lasted just one season with the Sky, finishing with a 13-27 record and failing to make the postseason.

There were a lot of expectations when the Sky hired Weatherspoon in October last year although it changed when things didn't turn out great in free agency. Star guard Kaleah Copper requested a trade when the front office failed to surround her with a better roster.

Weatherspoon then had to use a flawed squad as a first-year coach, which wasn't an easy task to do. The Sky also struggled with injuries, so she had to make adjustments throughout the season. The players, especially Angel Reese, loved to play for her, though.

However, things unraveled quickly although the Chicago Sky haven't given a reason why they fired Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season. Weatherspoon, a Hall of Fame basketball player, began her career as a coach with the Westchester Phantoms in the ABA in 2007.

The Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters hired her as an associate head coach a year later before promoting her as the full-time coach in 2009. She was with the Lady Techsters program until 2014 before taking a sabbatical until the New Orleans Pelicans gave her an opportunity in 2020.

Weatherspoon spent three seasons in New Orleans before joining the Sky as coach. Kaleah Copper's trade wasn't a great start, but getting Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese in the draft was a decent consolation prize.

Cardoso's injury hampered her start to the season, while Reese established herself as one of the league's best rebounders. Weatherspoon got the best out of Chennedy Carter, who returned to the WNBA after a one-year absence.

Carter became an instant hit and was among the most improved players during the season. Marina Mabrey was also helping the team get wins before she got shipped to the Connecticut Sun during the Olympic break.

The Sky became a worse team when the season resumed, finishing in 10th place after holding on to the No. 8 seed for most of the campaign. They are a young team, so Weatherspoon was the right coach given that she's also a first-year coach in the WNBA, and they could grow together.

Instead, the franchise did a 180 and fired Weatherspoon, which shocked some fans. So, why did the Sky decide to part ways with their coach so suddenly? Let's explore the possible reasons.

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Players openly discussed Teresa Weatherspoon's changing style of play the entire season

While players expressed support for Teresa Weatherspoon for most of the season, some changed tune during their exit interviews, as per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. Others also complained about losing minutes, which put a dent in the locker room.

Fans online didn't help, especially when they began losing a lot of games in the second half of the season. One of the criticisms faced by Weatherspoon was not utilizing plays for Kamilla Cardoso, who's a more polished offensive player than Angel Reese.

As good as Reese was as a rebounder, her offensive game is subpar, and her finishing is atrocious. It didn't help that Weatherspoon continued to play Reese in blowouts and let her have her double-doubles.

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Angel Reese asked Sheryl Swoopes to coach her

One of the players who were shocked that the Chicago Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon was Angel Reese. Chicago's star forward was devastated to find out that her first pro coach was let go after just one season.

However, Reese asked Sheryl Swoopes if she's open to coaching her one day. The WNBA legend, of course, wants to do it and even mentioned Chennedy Carter as another player she wants to coach.

While Reese was likely talking about the future or possibly asking the Sky to hire her as an assistant, it may or may not have influenced the franchise's decision to fire Teresa Weatherspoon.

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Sky franchise wanted a more seasoned coach

Since some players questioned the coaching decisions during their exit interviews, the Chicago Sky franchise possibly wanted a more experienced coach to help reach the team's full potential. Teresa Weatherspoon is still learning how to be a better coach, but the Chicago front office probably didn't have the patience for it.

They almost made the playoffs with a flawed roster and have plenty of cap space this offseason. If they can attract top stars to play in the Windy City alongside Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, they need a seasoned coach rather than a rookie one.

One of the available veteran coaches is Curt Miller. He was just fired by the LA Sparks, but they have the worst front office and ownership in the league.

Miller was in charge of the Connecticut Sun from 2016 to 2022, leading them to the playoffs seven times and two WNBA Finals appearances.