The Phoenix Mercury are hiring Nate Tibbetts to be their new head coach on a contract that will make him the highest-paid coach in WNBA history, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Though no numbers have been reported yet, Tibbetts is set to surpass previous record holder Becky Hammon, who makes $1 million per season. Hammon won a WNBA title in her first season at the helm of the Las Vegas Aces and is on the brink of another.
Like Hammon, Tibbetts was a longtime NBA assistant coach, most recently as the top assistant for the Orlando Magic. He was also previously on the staffs of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tibbetts has interviewed for NBA head coaching jobs in the past and has been a head coach at the G League level, but has no experience with the WNBA or women’s basketball — leading to some criticism on WNBA social media. His father, Fred Tibbetts, was a longtime high school girls basketball coach in South Dakota and was also the head coach of the women’s team at the University of South Dakota.
The Mercury also hired a male general manager, Nick U’Ren, away from the NBA’s Golden State Warriors this past summer.
Nevertheless, new Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia continues to invest in his women’s team: Earlier in October, the organization announced it is spending $100 million on a new practice facility for the Mercury, and a shared business headquarters for both teams.
