Sky Fire coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one season

The sky is directionless again.

Less than a year ago, the franchise touted Teresa Weatherspoon as the perfect person to lead their team into a new era. One that would include another title built on the foundation of their defensive tenacity, grit and a deep understanding of players that the franchise has touted throughout the season.

According to multiple league sources, Weatherspoon was fired Thursday, once again reeling from the franchise that won its first title less than three years ago. The team is expected to make a formal announcement on Friday.

In her first year, Weatherspoon — a Hall of Fame player and two-time Defensive Player of the Year — led the Sky to a 13-27 record, resulting in the franchise’s first missed postseason since 2018.

The biggest question that still needs to be answered is: Why?

Weatherspoon’s inexperience was obvious. Hired by the Sky, she served six seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech from 2009-2014 and four seasons as player development coach for the Pelicans from 2020-2023.

The players outwardly supported Weatherspoon throughout the year. However, during the final discussions it became clear that there was a certain discrepancy. Several players noted the changing style of play throughout the year and mentioned the learning curve as a first-year coach.

Weatherspoon’s inexperience as a coach was compounded by injuries. The Sky played just two games with a fully healthy squad.

“No matter what we went through, the injuries, the illnesses, everyone stood between those four lines and played hard,” Weatherspoon said in farewell interviews last week when asked what her biggest takeaway from her first season was. “They gave everything they had. You can’t help but be proud that your team gave it their all.”

Sky rookie Angel Reese took to social media on Thursday evening to express her unwavering support for Weatherspoon.

The value she placed on playing for Weatherspoon was clear all season. She often referred to the fact that they were both coached by four-time NCAA championship coach Kim Mulkey when she talked about how understood and supported she felt by Weatherspoon.

Her firing will undoubtedly impact Reese’s future in Chicago.

“I can’t imagine playing for Sky without (Spoon),” Reese told the Sun-Times. “She’s the only reason I wanted to come here.”

The Sky will now begin the search for their fourth head coach in two years.

Former coach/general manager James Wade resigned mid-season last year to accept a position as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Raptors. His senior assistant, Emre Vatansever, replaced him on an interim basis. At one point, Vatansever believed that the temporary label would be removed. However, after the Sky were defeated by the Aces in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, he was fired to make way for Weatherspoon.

Players’ disinterest in being part of Sky is long-standing. This year, however, it was more evident than ever when first-year general manager Jeff Pagliocca failed to sign top targets Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. Former franchise star and Finals MVP Kahleah Copper requested a trade that same week.

In the middle of the 2024 season, guard Marina Mabrey requested a trade.

Last year, unrestricted free agent Jewell Loyd told the Sun-Times that the Sky were always “one step away.” After Copper was transferred to the Mercury, she told the Sun-Times that after years of believing that her training environment and other amenities that came with being a professional athlete didn’t matter, they actually made her job easier.

That season, Copper was third in the league averaging 21.1 points per game and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

The reality is that Sky’s failures didn’t just start with Weatherspoon’s lost season. Bringing in a new coach and free agent will be a tall order for a franchise given the growing turmoil that has accompanied it since its title run.