Sky near deal to hire Hall of Famer Teresa Witherspoon as coach: reports

Sky near deal to hire Hall of Famer Teresa Witherspoon as coach: reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Chicago Sky is on the verge of a major coaching announcement, as reports suggest that Hall of Famer Teresa Witherspoon will be joining the team as their new head coach.

Tuesday night, Shams Charania from The Athletic reported that Witherspoon is in the final stages of negotiations with the Sky:

Witherspoon had a successful playing career with the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks, and in 2019, she was honored with induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Prior to joining the Sky, Witherspoon served as the head coach of the Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team until 2014. She then spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans before making this move.

Following their 2021 WNBA championship win, the Sky faced disappointment in the semifinals of 2022 and a rough start in 2023. As a result, James Wade stepped down as the general manager and head coach of the team.

The Sky finished the season under the interim coaching of Emre Vatansever, but unfortunately, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces.