Angel Reese Divulges into Kim Mulkey and Teresa Weatherspoon’s Connection’s Role in Her WNBA Growth

Angel Reese checked off “earning the spot” quite early in her time with the Chicago Sky. However, she had the same experience even when she transferred to be a Lady Tiger under Kim Mulkey. What many may not know, though, is that her two coaches Mulkey and Teresa Weatherspoon have a close connection. But does she find the similarities so often? From an NCAA championship in her first year in LSU to being a true menace on the floor for Chicago, what has Reese’s journey with two of the most respected coaches in the industry been like?

During the Sky’s Media Day, Chi Barbie reflected on how the relationship between her two coaches has brought the best out of her. The No. 5 forward said, “Yeah, both of them, they are going to bring the best out of you every day. They come and practice every day with a lot of energy and they expect a lot out of you. You can’t take a day off. Even though I’m a rookie, coach T-spoon doesn’t treat me like a rookie.”

Reese also reminisced about the time when she transferred from Maryland to LSU and how Mulkey treated her. She said, “When I came in at LSU, she didn’t treat me like I just transferred there and I was new.”

Comparing the two, she said, “Just coming in and being able to be a leader and learning from two great players, great Hall of Famer coaches now. Just understanding what I have in front of me and to use that to my advantage. I love coach Spoon and her being able to bring everything out of me, just how I had at LSU.”

While Angel Reese clearly had great relationships with her coaches, what is the connection between T-spoon and Mulkey?

How are the two coaches of Angel Reese connected?

Reese entered LSU to be a part of Mulkey’s winning culture with the Lady Tigers. Similarly, she wanted to be with Weatherspoon for the same reason. And the bond between the two coaches has only cemented her spot in both the spaces. Evidently, Teresa Weatherspoon was initially Mulkey’s prodigy. During her very first stint with Louisiana Tech as an assistant coach, LSU’s head coach got to work on Weatherspoon for three years.

The latter was in her sophomore year with the Lady Techsters. The two also swept the NCAA championship back in 1988. Later, Teresa Weatherspoon followed further in Kim’s footsteps to become an assistant coach at her alma mater.

By then, Kim Mulkey was already a part of Baylor as a head coach. Mulkey continued her career trajectory in college basketball and joined LSU in 2021. However, T-spoon entered the professional leagues as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. The Sky chose her to be their head coach and lead a team of women in the WNBA in 2023.

And she did just that. While Chicago is trying to find its place amongst the 12 teams, it is definitely going in the right direction. Now that Angel Reese has joined the Hall of Famer player and coach, there surely seems to be only good things for Chicago.