The 20 biggest WNBA coaches of all time

Gaines is one in all 15 coaches within the historical past of the WNBA to win a championship. His got here whereas guiding the Phoenix Mercury in 2009. Gaines went 90-101 whereas teaching the Mercury from 2008-’13, however was 11-9 in the course of the playoffs. He performed and was mentored beneath Paul Westhead (we’ll get to him), the previous Mercury coach, whom Gaines performed for in school at Loyola Marymount in the course of the mid-to-late Eighties. He would go on to function an NBA assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Washington Wizards.

It is protected to say that Meadors is amongst these thought of the very best WNBA coaches by no means to win a title. She’s one of many unique eight head coaches in league historical past, guiding the Charlotte Sting for 3 seasons. Following an assistant school stint at Pittsburgh after which with the Washington Mystics, Meadors returned to the head-coaching ranks with Atlanta, the place she additionally served as common supervisor. The WNBA Coach of the 12 months in 2009, Meadors posted a 111-119 file within the league and received eight of 20 playoff video games.

One other on the checklist of outstanding WNBA coaches by no means to win a title. Chatman took LSU to 3 straight Last Fours, then after a stint teaching professionally in Russia, she returned to the US as coach of the Chicago Sky. Although Chatman’s solely WNBA Finals look got here with the Sky in 2014, she’s in elite firm with 306 video games coached and 134 profession victories throughout a profession that additionally included her last three seasons with the Indiana Fever.

Since taking up the Chicago Sky in 2019, Wade, a former assistant with Minnesota, has loved rapid private success. He was the WNBA Coach of the 12 months in 2019, and guided the Sky to their first league title in 2021 — after a 16-16 common season. Because the workforce’s common supervisor, as properly, Wade was additionally chargeable for bringing Candace Parker to her hometown space in 2021. He is already received greater than 50 video games and stays a rising teaching star within the league.

One other proficient energetic coach within the league. After spending time as a university assistant and head coach coach, and on the bench with the Los Angeles Sparks, Miller turned head coach of the Connecticut Solar previous to the 2016 marketing campaign. Since then, Miller has received extra 110 WNBA video games, together with 4 seasons with not less than 21 victories and a 2019 look within the WNBA Finals.– previous to 2022. Nonetheless, Miller remains to be looking for his first WNBA championship.

We talked about Westhead earlier on this checklist. He has the excellence of being the one head coach to with each a NBA and WNBA championship. Westhead completed the previous throughout his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979-80, and the latter in his second and last marketing campaign with the Phoenix Mercury. Identified for his fast-paced, high-tempo offensive fashion dubbed “The System,” Westhead went 41-27 (7-2 within the playoffs) throughout his two seasons teaching the Mercury.

Kloppenburg started his American skilled teaching profession in 2000, as an assistant with Seattle Storm. Nonetheless, his first WNBA head-coaching stint did not come till 2012, with the Tulsa Shock. But, Seattle has simply felt like residence for Kloppenburg, who returned to the Storm as an assistant to 2017, when he was later named interim head coach following Jenny Boucek’s dismissal. He additionally served in an interim position for the Storm in 2019, when Dan Hughes (extra on him in a bit) was recovering from most cancers surgical procedure. In 2020 with Hughes nonetheless out, Kloppenburg held the head-coaching duties and guided the Storm to the league title. Kloppenburg is 43-55 as a WNBA head coach, and 6-1 within the playoffs. 

Greater than 20 years after Williams debuted as a WNBA head coach with the defuncted Utah Starzz, he took over the Los Angeles Sparks when Derek Fisher was fired throughout this 2022 season. Thompson has coached greater than 280 video games and received greater than 130 throughout his WNBA profession, which additionally contains stops in cost at Atlanta and the Tulsa/Dallas franchise. In 2013, Williams guided the Dream to — what’s up to now — his solely WNBA Finals look.

Adubato made his identify as an assistant and head coach within the NBA, notably with Detroit, Dallas and Orlando. Then, he took his information to the WNBA with the New York Liberty. In his first 4 years guiding the Liberty, Adubato took the franchise to the WNBA Finals thrice. Nonetheless, he by no means received a title, and by 2004, was gone. Adubato coached his last three seasons with Washington, compiling a 134-116 WNBA file with 14 playoff victories. 

Whisenant’s WNBA teaching profession was spent between the defuncted Sacramento Monarchs and New York Liberty. It was with the previous that Whisenant achieved his most notable success. In 2005, he coached the Monarchs to a franchise-best 25-9 file and its solely WNBA championship. He took Sacramento again to the WNBA Finals in 2006, however it fell in 5 video games to Detroit. Whisenant then landed in New York, and completed his WNBA teaching profession at 119-88 — 20-14 within the playoffs.

After profitable 447 video games as a university coach and incomes success with USA Basketball, Dunn carried over that success to the skilled recreation. First, within the ABL, then onto the WNBA, the place she was the primary coach of the enlargement Seattle Storm. Finally, Dunn landed with the Indiana Fever. The place, she took that membership to the WNBA Finals in her second season (2009), and coached the Fever to a league title in 2012. Along with a training profession that is resulted in 168 skilled wins over 334 video games, Dunn has additionally achieved success within the entrance workplace. 

Earlier than Brondello launched into her profitable WNBA teaching profession, she was a WNBA All-Star (1999), who performed for the Detroit Shock, Miami Sol and Seattle Storm. She started her head-coaching profession within the league with San Antonio in 2010. Then after three seasons as an assistant with Los Angeles, Brondello returned to the head-coaching ranks, and in her first yr with the Phoenix Mercury, guided them to the 2014 WNBA championship. The beloved Aussie spent eight seasons in Phoenix earlier than taking up the New York Liberty in 2022. Brondello has received greater than 160 common season video games.

On the planet of girls’s basketball, Donovan basically did all of it. As a university star, Donovan received an AIAW nationwide championship at Outdated Dominion, then two Olympic gold medals for the US. She ultimately landed within the WNBA as a coach with 5 totally different franchises (Indiana, Charlotte, Seattle, New York, Connecticut), however it was with the Storm in 2004, that she turned the primary feminine head coach to win a WNBA title. Donovan, who died of coronary heart failure in 2018 at age 56, is one in all eight WNBA coaches to win not less than 200 video games (206).

Just one different particular person has coached extra WNBA video games than Hughes’ 598. Throughout a training profession that spanned components of 19 seasons and 4 groups (Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, San Antonio Stars, Seattle Storm), Hughes received 286 video games in the course of the common season and 22 within the playoffs. Nonetheless, it wasn’t till 2018, in his first season teaching the Storm — following an 11-year run in San Antonio — that Hughes lastly received an elusive WNBA title.

Getting into the 2022 season, Cooper is one in all 5 WNBA coaches to file two or extra championship. A preferred guard in the course of the “Showtime” period of the Los Angeles Lakers, Cooper’s first head-coaching gig got here with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2000. One yr later, the Sparks had been WNBA champs beneath Cooper, who led them to a repeat title in 2002. Los Angeles received no fewer than 24 video games in any of Cooper’s first 4 seasons. After resigning in the course of the 2004 season, Cooper returned to teach the Sparks from 2007-;09, then spent 4 seasons answerable for the Atlanta Dream. For his WNBA profession, Cooper went 230-158 in the course of the common season, and 27-16 within the playoffs.

Relating to leaving a mark on one’s occupation, there aren’t many who’ve completed it higher than Agler. Along with sitting third on the WNBA’s profession wins (287) and video games coached (545) lists, Agler led two totally different franchises to a league title — Seattle in 2010 and Los Angeles in 2016. Agler, who started his WNBA teaching profession in Minnesota and concluded it in Dallas, posted six seasons with not less than 20 victories. He owns a .527 regular-season profitable proportion and went 24-19 within the playoffs.

No one within the historical past of the WNBA has coached extra video games or recorded extra victories than Thibault, who will flip 72 in September. And, he is not completed but whereas nonetheless answerable for the Washington Mystics. Thibault, who hung out as an NBA assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago and Milwaukee earlier than turning to the ladies’s recreation, has received extra 350 video games and coached over 630. Then after failing in three earlier Finals’ probabilities with the Connecticut Solar and Mystics, Thibault lastly nabbed that elusive WNBA title with Washington in 2019. 

Tied for probably the most all-time WNBA teaching titles, Chancellor was the guiding pressure within the Houston Comets’ profitable the league’s first 4 championships (1997-2000). A 3-time WNBA Coach of the 12 months, Chancellor spent his whole league profession in Houston and coached at a time when the Comets clearly had the sport’s greatest gamers — with the likes of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson. Nonetheless, solely as soon as throughout his 10-year tenure operating the membership, throughout which he went 211-111, did Chancellor undergo a dropping season. His 1998 squad that went 27-3 is usually thought of the best workforce in WNBA historical past.

Beloved in Detroit for his taking part in days with the Pistons, the place he was a part of two NBA championship groups, Laimbeer loved much more success as coach of the Detroit Shock. He received three WNBA titles (2003, ’06 and ’08) throughout components of eight seasons with the Shock franchise, which now resides in Dallas. After that, the two-time WNBA Coach of the 12 months registered three 20-plus win seasons throughout a five-year run with New York, and coached the Las Vegas Aces to a Finals look in 2020. Within the all-time annals of the WNBA, Laimbeer ranks second in victories whereas posting a powerful .577 profitable proportion (306-215) as one in all 4 with not less than 500 video games coached. His 37 playoff victories rank second in WNBA historical past.

Nonetheless operating issues with the Minnesota Lynx, Reeve joins the aforementioned Chancellor as the one WNBA coaches to win 4 championships (2011, ’13, ’15, ’17). Previous to the 2022 season, which acquired off to a tough begin for Minnesota, Reeve had endured only one dropping season — her first with the Lynx in 2010. She’s the sixth to teach not less than 400 WNBA video games, and after posting her 270th victory in 2022, Reeve stays the winningest feminine coach in league historical past.  A 3-time WNBA Coach of the 12 months (2011, ’16 and ’20), Reeve has additionally received a league-high 41 playoff video games via the 2021 marketing campaign.