Sky Fire coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one season

The sky is directionless again.

Less than a year ago, the franchise touted Teresa Weatherspoon as the perfect person to lead their team into a new era. One that would include another title built on the foundation of their defensive tenacity, grit and overall understanding of the players the franchise has announced throughout the season.

According to multiple league sources, Weatherspoon was fired on Thursday, once again reeling from the franchise that won its first title less than three years ago. The team is expected to make a formal announcement on Friday.

In her first year, Weatherspoon — a Hall of Fame player and two-time Defensive Player of the Year — led the Sky to a 13-27 record, resulting in the franchise's first missed postseason since 2018.

The biggest question that still needs to be answered is: Why?

Weatherspoon's inexperience was obvious. She was hired by the Sky and had six seasons as a coach at Louisiana Tech from 2009 to 2014 and four seasons as a player development coach for the Pelicans from 2020 to 2023.

The players outwardly supported Weatherspoon throughout the year. However, during the final discussions it became clear that there was a certain discrepancy. Several players noted the changing style of play throughout the year and mentioned the learning curve as a first-year coach.

Weatherspoon's inexperience as a coach was compounded by injuries. The Sky played two games with a fully healthy squad.

“No matter what we went through, the injuries, the illnesses, everyone stood between those four lines and played hard,” Weatherspoon said in farewell interviews last week when asked what her biggest takeaway from her first season was. “They gave everything they had. You can’t help but be proud that your team gave it their all.”

Sky rookie Angel Reese took to social media on Thursday evening to express her unwavering support for Weatherspoon.

The value she placed on playing for Weatherspoon was evident throughout the season. She often referred to the fact that both were coached by four-time NCAA championship coach Kim Mulkey when sharing how she felt understood and supported by Weatherspoon.

Her firing will undoubtedly impact Reese's future in Chicago.

“I can’t imagine playing for Sky without him [Spoon,]Reese told the Sun-Times. “She’s the only reason I wanted to come here.”

The Sky will now begin the search for their fourth head coach in two years.

Former coach/general manager James Wade resigned mid-season last year to accept a position as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Raptors. His senior assistant, Emre Vatansever, replaced him on an interim basis. At one point, Vatansever believed that the temporary label would be removed. However, after the Sky were defeated by the Aces in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, he was fired to make way for Weatherspoon.

Players' disinterest in being part of Sky is long-standing. This year, however, it was clearer as first-year general manager Jeff Pagliocca entered free agency and failed to sign top targets Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. Former franchise star and Finals MVP Kahleah Copper requested a trade that same week.

Midway through the 2024 season, guard Marina Mabrey asked to be traded and she did.

Last year, storm watcher and Lincolnwood native Jewell Loyd told the Sun-Times that heaven is always “one step away.” After Copper was transferred to the Mercury, after years of believing that her training environment and other amenities that came with being a professional athlete didn't matter, she told the Sun-Times that they actually made her job easier.

That season, Copper finished third in the league averaging 21.1 points per game and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

The reality is that Sky's failures didn't just start with Weatherspoon's lost season. Bringing in a new coach and free agent will be a tall order for a franchise given the turmoil that has accompanied it since its title run.