“She was the only person who believed in me,” read a statement by Angel Reese this Friday night after a shocking update from the Chicago Sky. On September 27th, the Sky took to their official Twitter handle to be one of the firsts to convey the news of parting ways with her HC Teresa Weatherspoon. It came as a shocker, considering it hadn’t even been a full year since her joining. While people process the news, Sheryl Swoopes has something to share.

Swoopes had an hour-long conversation with the former Chicago Sky head coach and confirmed everything she wanted to reveal. The Houston Comets star went on her podcast, ‘Queens of the Court’ then, to deliver a message from TSpoon. “From my conversation, she did say she’s planning on speaking, but understandably, she’s not doing it right now,” shared Swoopes, emotional over the head coach’s firing.

Weatherspoon was hired as the Sky’s head coach back in October 2023, following the departure of then-coach and GM James Wade. This followed his decision to step down in July to take up the position of NBA assistant coach. Since then, TSpoon had worked tirelessly to uplift the roster in their championship run. Her immediate firing, therefore, remains to be made complete sense of until TSpoon herself speaks out.

“But when she does, there’s a whole lot of people who need to be held accountable,” Swoopes added. Initially, the firing was assumed to be a rumor, as it did not come from an official source. However, when it did, it was through Twitter. “Unprofessional,” roared Sheryl Swoopes about firing the head coach a night before and then posting the “statement” afterward.

Weatherspoon was treated like “trash” Sheryl Swoopes believes

According to Swoopes, Sky’s head coach wouldn’t have taken the job if she knew “the expectation was to win the playoffs… or get fired,” and she’s 100% sure of it. “Spoon don’t wanna be a part of that family. You treated her like trash,” she adds. All of this followed a disappointing 2024 regular season, which saw the Sky narrowly miss out on a postseason berth.

“Steadfastly committed to being a playoff and championship contender every year,” read a statement by Rawlinson, leaving no doubt about Swoopes’ playoff assertion. But was it all Weatherspoon’s fault? Probably not. The team wasn’t in the exact best condition when she joined, something Swoopes also notes. The best of Sky players had refused to sign after entering free agency, Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey requested a trade, and the crucial ones among those who remained were plagued by injuries.

The team was about 2 games away from securing a playoff berth when Chennedy Carter, Angel Reese, and Kamill Cardoso, were forced to the sidelines one after another. Though players expressed in the exit interview that they felt a ‘disconnect,’ Reese and Carter have made it clear that Weatherspoon was a good sport.