WNBA Has No Black Woman Head Coaches After Seattle Fires Noelle Quinn

The Seattle Storm said Sunday they were not renewing coach Noelle Quinn’s contract, making her the first and potentially only WNBA coach fired this offseason. 

The Storm lost to the Aces in the first round 2-1 on Sept. 18, concluding Quinn’s tenure in Seattle with a 97–89 record and four postseason appearances in five seasons. The move currently leaves the WNBA without a Black woman head coach for the first time since the 2020 season. There are three open jobs as of Monday: Seattle and the two expansion teams in Toronto and Portland. 

There are two Black coaches in the league: the Chicago Sky’s Tyler Marsh and Washington Mystics’ Sydney Johnson. Both are men.

Quinn took over for Dan Hughes in 2021 after the two-time Coach of the Year stepped down for health reasons. 

“On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank Noelle for her time with the Storm.  Her commitment to the ongoing success of our organization and to furthering the development of our players was second to none,” Storm general manager Talisa Rhea said in a statement. “She put us in a position to win at the highest levels of the game and for that, we are grateful.” 

Quinn’s tenure in Seattle, which followed an 11-year playing career in the WNBA, included an investigation into the entire Storm coaching staff after the franchise’s former No. 1 overall pick Jewell Loyd alleged bullying and harassment. The independent investigation by the Storm concluded in December of last year without finding any violations and Loyd was subsequently traded at her request. 

Both the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo have begun their coaching searches; the Storm have said theirs will begin immediately. But other jobs could open up.

The New York Liberty, who opted not to do exit interviews, were confronted with the reality of a potential coaching change following the team’s 2-1 first-round series loss to the Phoenix Mercury—a year after the franchise won its first title. 

“What the fuck,” two-time MVP Breanna Stewart said when asked for her thoughts on those who question if Sandy Brondello should return to coach the team next year. “To anybody that questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group. She has our back and we have hers.

“The way she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible.” 

The Liberty navigated a slew of injuries this season—including to Stewart and fellow MVP Jonquel Jones—but Brondello was widely seen as struggling to make adjustments. 

The Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings are two franchises with records that often come with a change. According to multiple sources, neither franchise will pursue coaching staff changes ahead of 2026. 

Rules regarding the interview process for head coaches and assistants vary according to each candidate’s previous contract and the operational standards of each general manager. Some candidates have language written into their contract which requires they seek permission before interviewing; others do not. General managers seeking to interview coaches who are currently still in season and under contract must get permission, but there’s a question of how tightly that rule is enforced.

Among the WNBA assistant coaches seen as top candidates are Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, Indiana Fever assistant Briann January, and Liberty assistant Sonia Raman. Other coaches with previous head coaching experience who could be considered are Sky assistant Tanisha Wright and former Wings coach Latricia Trammell, who was hired as a special assistant to Sparks coach Lynne Roberts in July. 

Last year, franchises pulled from the college coaching ranks, with the Sparks hiring Roberts from Utah and the Atlanta Dream hiring Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast. The Connecticut Sun opted for an international coach, hiring Rachid Meziane who had coached French club Villeneuve-d’Ascq and the Belgian national team. Fire general manager Vanja Černivec told Front Office Sports the franchise is casting a “wide net” in search of the franchise’s first head coach. 

There were eight head coach vacancies following the 2024 season. That kind of turnover isn’t expected this offseason.