By hiring a new head coach , i think the chicago sky has done a good move.
Teresa Weatherspoon is the newest head coach of the Chicago Sky, and we couldn’t be happier about it,” said Nadia Rawlinson, chairman of Sky co-ownership and operations. Teresa, a five-time All-Star, Olympian, and college national champion, is a WNBA legend who offers the Sky a wealth of NBA and collegiate coaching experience. Teresa is the ideal person to continue our championship culture and usher in an exciting new age because of her high standards, track record of success at all levels, coaching skills, game knowledge, passion, and player development abilities.
In 1997, she was chosen by New York as the 10th overall pick in the WNBA’s inaugural draft. After that, Weatherspoon had an illustrious eight-year career in the league, playing for New York for her first seven seasons (1997–2003) and Los Angeles for her final season (2004). In 1997 and 1999, she guided the Liberty to their first-ever WNBA Finals. Weatherspoon ranks second for the Liberty franchise in all-time minutes played (6,842), first in all-time assists (1,306), and first in all-time steals (453). From 2015 to 2019, she was back in New York, serving as the inaugural Director of Player and Franchise Development for the Liberty.
She was listed as one of the Top-20 greatest and most significant players in WNBA history in 2016. She is the first WNBA player to be named Defensive Player of the Year (1997–1998), a five-time WNBA All-Star Starter (1999–2003), a four-time member of the All-WNBA Second Team (1997–2000), the league leader in assists and steals (1997–1998), and a member of the WNBA Top-15 players (2011).
Weatherspoon exclaimed, “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Chicago Sky Family.” It is a dream come true to be the head coach of an organization in a historically and culturally rich city. Our upcoming endeavors as a group, a company, and a community will be based on passion, quality, and diligence. I am appreciative to the entire Chicago organization for choosing me after going through this procedure. I am eager to start working!
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2019), Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2020), Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2010), Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2010), and Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame (1995) are the five Halls of Fame inductions that Weatherspoon has received.
The native of Pineland, Texas, has also won two medals at the Olympics, one gold with Team USA in 1988 and one bronze with them in 1992. She also played for six years in Italy, winning two Russian League championships (1995–1996) and was selected a six-time All-Star in the Italian League (1989– 1994).
With well over a decade of coaching expertise, Weatherspoon comes to the Sky. In 2007, she took on the role of head coach for the American Basketball Association’s Westchester Phantoms.
She began working as a coach at Louisiana Tech in 2008, and in 2009 she was elevated to the position of head coach. She guided her former school to two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament (2010–11), a 2010 Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship, and two WAC regular-season titles (2009, 2011). The two-time All-American led the Lady Techsters to a 99-71 record while serving as their head coach.
In addition, she is the school’s all-time assist leader with 958 assists, and as a player, she guided Louisiana Tech to an NCAA Championship in 1988. At LA Tech, her No. 11 jersey has been retired. Weatherspoon was one of six LA Tech legends that received a statue at the university on September 20, 2023.
