By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Photo: WNBA
Vickie Johnson has been fired as head coach of the WNBA Dallas Wings, the team announced Monday.
A search for the organization’s new head coach will begin immediately.
Johnson just completed her second year as head coach of the Wings. She was one of 4 Black full-time head coaches this past season joining Chicago Sky’s James Wade, Seattle Storm’s Noelle Quinn and Atlanta Dream’s Tanisha Wright.
The Los Angeles Sparks and the Indiana Fever had Black interim coaches to close out the season (Fred Williams and Carlos Knox) but neither of them was retained and both teams are now searching for full-time coaches.
In a statement the team revealed it “has opted to not exercise the team option on Head Coach Vickie Johnson’s contract in accordance with the initial terms of the agreement.”
“While our organization has taken steps forward this season, at this time I believe a change provides our team with the best opportunity to achieve our long-term goals of advancing in the playoffs and ultimately competing for a WNBA Championship,” Dallas Wings President & CEO Greg Bibb stated. “I would like to thank Vickie for her work on behalf of the organization and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
In her two years as head coach, Johnson compiled a regular season record of 32-36 while posting a 1-3 mark in the playoffs. She was the WNBA’s Coach of the Month for August 2022 and led the Wings to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 in her first season. She is a former WNBA player who has been a part of the league either as a player or coach for all 26 years of the WNBA’s existence.
