The Chicago Sky will not retain Emre Vatansever in his roles as interim coach and general manager, the team announced Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Vatansever took on the interim roles when then-coach and GM James Wade stepped down on July 1 to become an assistant with the Toronto Raptors.
- Vatansever came to the Sky in May 2018 as a player development coach before working as an assistant coach (2018-23).
- Chicago went 11-13 under Vatansever and reached the playoffs for a fifth straight season before being eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
End of an era for Sky, WNBA
Vatansever was the last remaining dual head coach/GM in the WNBA, as Connecticut, Minnesota and Washington both moved away from that model during the 2023 offseason. Per Kahleah Copper’s exit interview, Chicago will be splitting up the role moving forward. With the expanded WNBA season and a collective bargaining agreement that facilitates more player movement, it no longer seems tenable for one person to handle both jobs, despite Wade’s insistence that he could before resigning in July.
The Sky now have two hires to make this offseason — Phoenix is also in the coaching market, and there’s always the possibility of another team making a change….
