Sky's decision to fire Teresa Weatherspoon was one she never saw coming
News of Teresa Weatherspoon’s firing in September hit the basketball world like a sudden rainstorm.
The Sky had anything but a sunny season — finishing 13-27 and failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018 — but to many, 11 months was far from enough time for Weatherspoon to establish herself. Eight weeks after her abrupt firing, Weatherspoon had a chance to address the situation.
“It wasn’t a decision I saw coming,” Weatherspoon said during her first media availability as a coach for the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a three-on-three league.
Weatherspoon signed a two-year contract with a team option on the third, according to WNBA sources. The Sky will be on the hook for the second year. Star rookie Angel Reese was among those who felt jilted by ownership’s decision to part with Weatherspoon.
Reese and Weatherspoon will reunite on the court in Miami, but this time as opponents. Reese will play for Unrivaled’s Rose Basketball Club, and Weatherspoon will coach Team Vinyl. On her roster are Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, Dream guards Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada, Fever forward Aliyah Boston and Sparks teammates Rae Burrell and Dearica Hamby.
The transition between jobs will be swift for Weatherspoon, with Unrivaled’s season beginning Jan. 17. Her reaction to being fired and promptly hired has been to process the past and let it go.
“You gotta know this and stand on it: You’re not for everybody,” Weatherspoon said. “I’m OK with that. I know the things I did. I know the things I helped change. I know the things I had to go through and what I stood through. I will do that again, over and over and over.”
Results were a factor in the Sky’s decision to fire Weatherspoon. Locker-room dynamics were another.
According to sources, a lack of discipline and structure gave way to disapproval from veteran players and disconnect among teammates. By the end of the season, there was concern about the team’s ability to attract free agents with Weatherspoon at the helm, something Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca confirmed at the team’s groundbreaking ceremony for their new practice facility.
Regarding the Sky’s 10th-place finish in 2024, injuries had a considerable impact. But Weatherspoon’s inexperience with in-game strategy, specifically on offense, was another issue.
Weatherspoon’s energy was an aspect of her coaching style that never came into question.
Fellow Unrivaled coach and longtime NBA assistant Phil Handy’s relationship with Weatherspoon goes back to her playing days in the WNBA. Handy, who will coach the Mist, said Weatherspoon’s mentality amid an “unfortunate thing” is an example to other coaches in professional sports learning the lesson that you get hired to get fired.
“At some point, coaches will run into something where organizations feel like they want to go in another direction, and we have to be professional,” Handy said. “Does it hurt? Is it disappointing? Is it frustrating? All of those things are included, but T-Spoon is showing just like a lot of other coaches that … we have to carry on.”
Weatherspoon said the hiring process for Unrivaled included talks with league executives. After Unrivaled expressed the importance of having her on board and made her feel “wanted and needed,” the decision to join was easy.
Three coaching jobs — the Wings, Mystics and Sun — remain open. Weatherspoon was noncommittal when asked if she would be back coaching in the WNBA in 2025.
“That is to be seen,” Weatherspoon said. “One thing about me is I don’t run from anything. I don’t hide from anything. I don’t have to answer anything. Because I know what I bring. I know how hard I worked. I know that the opportunity for me will come and I’ll be ready.”