Teresa Weatherspoon is looking forward with optimism while choosing not to dwell on her recent past. It has been almost two months since the Chicago Sky parted ways with her as their head coach after just one season at the helm.
During a conference call for her new position in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, Weatherspoon expressed her enthusiasm. “I’m excited,” she stated. “The one thing about me is I process things, and I let it go. I process and I let it go.” This appearance marked her first public comments since her dismissal, following a challenging season that concluded with the Sky holding a 13-27 record. She has since been succeeded by Tyler Marsh.
“I can’t sit there. I can’t wonder why. I’ve got to move forward,” Weatherspoon emphasized. “This is my life; this is what I live to do. I love what I do.” She shared that her connection with the Sky’s younger talents, such as Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter, was meaningful. While Reese is participating in the burgeoning 3-on-3 league, she is not part of Weatherspoon’s team.
Weatherspoon acknowledged that not everyone will resonate with her coaching style, stating, “And you got to know this, and you got to stand on this — you’re not for everybody. … And I’m OK with that.” She reflected on her experiences, discussing the insights that come from challenges. “I know the things that I had to go through, and I will do that again over and over,” she remarked. “In the process, you always learn a lot of things about yourself. I’m about myself first, about me first. What I learned, what I carry, but at the end of the day, I’m fine. I’m great. I’m awesome.”
In her new role within the league, Weatherspoon will focus significantly on player development, a facet she has embraced throughout her coaching career, which includes stints with the New York Liberty and New Orleans Pelicans. Phil Handy, another coach in the Unrivaled league who has worked with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors, expressed sympathy for Weatherspoon.
“Look, does it hurt? Is it disappointing? Is it frustrating? All of those feelings are valid, but T-Spoon is showing, like many other coaches, the need to carry on,” Handy shared. “Our love and passion for the game continue to drive us forward, even in the face of such setbacks.”
Since her departure from the Sky, Weatherspoon has taken the time to support the New York Liberty—a franchise where she once excelled during the WNBA’s inception—as they celebrated their first championship. She even participated in the celebratory parade, reinforcing her enduring connection to the sport and its community.