The New York Liberty ended the 2024 season by snatching up their first championship on Oct. 20, but teams wasted no time making big moves for next year. An eye-popping seven of 12 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) teams saw head coach vacancies as the league recently headed into its off-season. Some decisions, whether to “fire,” “let go” or “mutually part ways” came as a shock to fans. Others were welcoming changes.
The turnover comes at a transformative moment for the “W,” alongside growing attendance, merchandise sales and sponsorship deals. Four additional teams are set to join the league over the next few seasons, with the Golden State Valkyries set to play as the first new franchise in 2025 under head coach Natalie Nakase. Owners across the country want their teams to start winning soon, which for many franchises has meant significant coaching turnover.
The Atlanta Dream chose Karl Smesko to continue Tanisha Wright’s work propelling the team to make it beyond the first round of the WNBA playoffs (they have lost 2᠆0 in the playoff series the past two years). Smesko previously coached at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) for over two decades and will be looking to boost the Dream’s offense. He is a big advocate for sending it from the three-point line. FGCU has some of the best three-point rates in the nation, but only time will tell if Smesko’s philosophy is effective at this level.
The Los Angeles Sparks replaced Curt Miller (who is now General Manager for the Dallas Wings) with Lynne Roberts. After Smesko, she is the second coach to leave a steady gig in the NCAA, for (hopefully) a more lucrative contract than WNBA coaches have experienced. Roberts, leaving the Utah Utes after about a decade, was the Pac-12 coach of the year in 2023. She is taking over a team that has nowhere to go but up, following the worst record of 2023. Similarly to Smesko, Roberts will be looking to boost a struggling offense. Roberts says she is up for the challenge, and—fingers crossed—the Sparks have struck a deal that will give her time to settle in and develop.
The Chicago Sky made a contentious decision to fire Teresa Weatherspoon after one season. The legendary player-turned-coach was close with Sky players like Angel Reese, but the exact reasons why she was let go remain ominously murky. Weatherspoon, an up-and-coming coach, unfortunately, lacked support from the Sky’s management, and in a tale as old as time, she was not given the time to grow. The team instead brought in Tyler Marsh, who served as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. Marsh is well-liked among players, and the second Aces assistant to get a head coach nod after Nakase. While the Weatherspoon decision was a whirlwind, Marsh is pretty much as good as it gets. His experience developing players will help young players like Reese and the awesome Kamilla Cardoso.
The Connecticut Sun parted ways amicably with Stephanie White but has not yet hired anyone to fill her shoes. The Sun had good seasons with two back-to-back semi-final runs, and White has a great track record, earning WNBA coach of the year in 2023. But her potentially stepping away from the franchise was hot gossip, and her eventual transition to (spoiler alert) the Indiana Fever was not a shock to anyone. The Indiana Fever let go of Christie Sides for White, who was previously head coach for the Fever from 2015-2016, and a player decades ago. I hope White likes the new gig after she has opened up about some personal struggles—the toll of the commute to the Sun’s home in Uncasville from where her family lives in Nashville and a recent family emergency. The Sun has made it clear they want someone who is committed to the state year-round, which honestly, is necessary. The team is going to need a steady leader to attract and keep players and maintain their success.
The Washington Mystics ended the reign of Thibaults, with Eric Thibault out as head coach. His father Mike Thibault, the general manager of the team and head coach before his son, is gone as well. The 2025 season will be the first since 2012 without Eric Thibault as a coach, or even a Thibault in the organization. No decision has been made as to a new head coach, but I am hoping whoever takes the helm helps out my favorite Canadian: Aaliyah Edwards.
Down in Texas, the Dallas Wings secured the first pick in the draft over the Sparks, which means they (barring anything wild) will select star college hooper Paige Bueckers of the University of Connecticut. That just might be the boost the Wings need after two lackluster seasons, also parting ways with their head coach Latricia Trammell. They have not chosen her replacement, but anyone who can build around Arike Ogunbowale deserves the post.
With the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a three-on-three league playing games out of Miami, set to begin in January, we will be able to see how players are doing in the off-season. And be treated to some epic basketball. And we have not seen the last of Weatherspoon, who will be coaching Vinyl BC, with players Ogunbowale, Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada, Rae Burrell, Aliyah Boston and Dearica Hamby. You can see all the games on Max in the new year.