Since the end of the 2024 WNBA season, seven franchises have parted ways with their coach. A clear signal is being sent: Coaching jobs in the WNBA come with the expectation of results.
With the exception of Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), who is also the highest-paid coach in the WNBA, no team with a losing record still has a job headed into the expansion draft in December.
The trend follows the highest price tag for expansion in league history, an increased expectation for ownership groups to heavily invest in facilities, and also precedes a CBA opt-out where the WNBPA intends to focus on a “new economic model” and “players salaries,” per their statement released on Oct. 21.
In short, the bar has been raised and nobody wants to be left behind. Finding the right coach to attract free agents and become a playoff contender is the price for playing. Coaches need to win, if not immediately on the court then in meetings with current and future players.
Although the Indiana Fever were not the first or even the most recent franchise to part ways with their coach, their decision might be the most illuminating. Despite finishing .500 for the first time since 2016 and making the playoffs, the…
