Chicago Sky GM opens up on Teresa Weatherspoon's firing, says relationship with Angel Reese is in a 'good spot

BEDFORD PARK, Ill. - On Wednesday morning, the Chicago Sky broke ground on a new practice facility that will be ready by the end of the 2025 calendar year.

The topic of the day, however, remained why the franchise decided to fire Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season at the helm and a 13-27 record.

Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca was asked about the training facility, but it was only a matter of time before he was asked about the head coach vacancy that now looms over a Sky franchise looking for its fourth head coach since James Wade left in July 2023.

"First I want to say I have a lot of respect for Spoon," Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. "We're very appreciative of the competitive teams, the resilient teams she brought to us on the court every night. As an organization, we felt that it was time to make a change."

Pagliocca said his phone has been ringing in terms of interest in the head coaching job with the Sky. However, the team doesn't have a timeline for getting its next head coach in place.

He does know he wants a head coach with structure and discipline.

"We're looking for a coach that is going to have a lot of structure, a lot of discipline, hold players accountable," Pagliocca said. "We want to keep a very exciting product on the floor. We have great fans. We sold out a ton of games and we want to make sure we continue with what we built with our two young rookie stars."

One of those rookie stars is forward Angel Reese, who's fresh off a rookie season where she set multiple rebounding records, including the single-season rebounding record that stood until league MVP A'ja Wilson broke that record after Reese suffered a season-ending injury.

Reese was one of a few players who were outspoken after Weatherspoon was fired. Reese may have been the most outspoken, praising Weatherspoon and saying she came to Chicago because of her.

Pagliocca was asked where the franchise's relationship is currently with Reese. He said it was "in a good spot."

Later, he was asked if he had spoken to Reese and if everything was in good standing. Pagliocca said he had spoken to Reese, and clarified a bit more.

"Currently, things are moving in a good direction," Pagliocca said.

Sky center Elizabeth Williams, who was present with guard Michaela Onyenwere for the groundbreaking, was asked about Weatherspoon's departure, too.

She stood by the fact the franchise decided to move on from Weatherspoon, and the franchise made a decision that was best for the team.

"I wouldn't say I was expecting it," Williams said. "I mean, she was under contract for two years, so it's like kind of the nature of pro sports. You can't predict everything."

Now, the Sky will move into the offseason where they'll look to revamp its roster and add more young players through the draft.

The Sky have two first-round picks this season: their own and the Connecticut Sun's first-round pick acquired in the trade for Marina Mabrey. That will be a top-10 pick after the Sun lost in the league semifinals.

Pagliocca said the team will be aggressive in its offseason approach.

"We're going to be very aggressive and we're really confident about free agency," Pagliocca said.

However, the team needs a head coach before any of that happens.

The Sky front office might have to be upfront with those candidates in the hiring process and their potential free agents, especially if they want to know more about why Weatherspoon only got one year in Chicago. 

"We'll be as forthright as we can," Pagliocca said. "There's some stuff that, of course, we want to keep in-house. But, we have a lot of respect for Spoon, and I have great friendship with her and I do wish her the best."