Angel Reese’s rookie season with the Chicago Sky came to a conclusion early after suffering a season-ending wrist injury with six games remaining. The Sky failed to make the WNBA Playoffs as a result.
After the season, the Sky announced that they would be dismissing Weatherspoon following just one year with the team. The news came as a shock to many, especially Reese, who had become close with her coach.
On Tuesday, a few days following her firing, Weatherspoon still showed her support for the WNBA and her former team by attending Game 2 between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals at Barclays Center.
Weatherspoon was shown on the jumbotron and received a huge standing ovation from the Liberty crowd.
Reese saw a video of the moment on social media and responsed with a post containing only a tearing-up emoji and a heart emoji.
Right before the Olympic break, first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon had her teamed primed to make the postseason with a 10-14 record. But upon the league’s return, Chicago lost 13 of its final 16 games, falling to 13-27.
In seven seasons with New York from 1997-2003, Weatherspoon was a five-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. She was also the WNBA assists champion in her first WNBA season, just like Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
Reese’s season ended with her as the single-season rebounds record holder, but after missing the final six games for the Sky, Aces star A’ja Wilson was able to catch up and surpass her, breaking the record again.
The rookie out of LSU still finished averaging the most rebounds per game (13.1) in the entire league and was able to keep her other big WNBA record of most consecutive double-doubles.