Angel Reese Sounds Off About Ex-Sky Coach Teresa Weatherspoon's Abrupt Firing
The women's basketball community was turned upside down on Thursday evening, as it was announced that Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon has been fired.
In hindsight, perhaps this should not have been a surprise. Despite being riddled with injuries in the season's second half, Chicago appeared to get worse as a team down the stretch and was notorious for being unable to execute late in close games. Weatherspoon was heavily criticized by fans for this.
Given that Weatherspoon had no professional women's baseball coaching experience before taking the Sky job, hiring her before this season was always a gamble. And unfortunately, the gamble didn't pay off.
While Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese aired out some criticism of Weatherspoon in her postseason exit meeting on Tuesday, it was clear that the two had a great relationship throughout the season. And on Thursday, Reese took to X to share her raw and honest thoughts about Weatherspoon's firing.
"I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me. Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black women in sports when nobody believes in you. You had a tough job. All the crazy circumstances that we went through this year & when your back was against the wall, you always believed," Reese wrote.
"I came to Chicago because of YOU. You were an unsung hero in my life. We built a relationship in a short amount of time that will last forever. I’ll never question God why he brings people in my life and takes them away from me in the capacity that I need them but i’ve always believed everyone is in your life for a reason and a season. You were the best reason & season. You didn’t deserve this but I can’t thank you enough. I love you Tspoon. @Finisher_11".
I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me. Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black women in sports when nobody believes in…
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 27, 2024
Reese is not happy with Chicago's decision to let go of her adored head coach. Perhaps this meant Reese wasn't in the ear of GM Jeff Pagliocca as much as she'd like to believe.
Chicago's hunt for a new head coach has just become one of the WNBA offseason's most compelling storylines.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.