Over half of the head coaches in the WNBA have been fired or “parted ways” with their teams since the league’s 2024 season ended last month.
Most recently, the Connecticut Sun announced it was parting ways with former head coach Stephanie White after she led the team to the semifinals during both of her seasons in the position.
The team finished third in the regular season this year, with a 28-12 record.
The Indiana Fever fired its head coach Christie Sides on Sunday after two seasons. This year was the first time the team had made a playoff appearance since 2016.
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The Washington Mystics fired Eric Thibault after two seasons, along with his father, Mike Thibault, who was the team’s general manager.
The Dallas Wings fired Latricia Trammell, the Atlanta Dream let go of Tanisha Wright, the Chicago Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season and the Los Angeles Sparks fired Curt Miller.
After ending the season with a loss in the semifinals to the New York Liberty, the Las Vegas Aces announced it was not renewing general manager Natalie Williams's contract last week.
So why is the league cleaning house?
There could be a number of reasons, according to sports analysts.
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Front Office Sports reported with the incoming funds from the unprecedented attention and demand for WNBA games this year, teams can throw out bigger contracts to high-profile names across the sphere of professional and collegiate basketball.
The outlet noted another trend among sports teams in which general managers or team presidents want to hire head coaches that align more with their visions for the team rather than inheriting one from the previous tenure.
