Former WNBA champion Ann Wauters will join the Sky as an assistant coach for the upcoming season the team confirmed to the Sun-Times.
The Cleveland Rockers took Wauters with the first overall pick in the 2000 WNBA draft. At 19 years old, she became the youngest player in the league at the time. She spent three seasons with the Rockers before joining the New York Liberty, where she became an All-Star.
She was part of the 2008 championship-contending San Antonio Silver Stars team that beat Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Finals during Parker’s rookie year. After playing overseas for several seasons and spending one season with the Seattle Storm, Wauters joined the Sparks in 2016, teaming up with Parker to win her first WNBA championship.
In her nine-year WNBA career, Wauters averaged 9.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
On top of her accomplishments in the WNBA, Wauters is a four-time Euroleague champion and a two-time Russian National League champion. Wauters retired after the Tokyo Olympics.
Contract negotiations began Jan. 15 for WNBA free agents, including the Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot, Stefanie Dolson and restricted free agent Diamond DeShields. Players can begin signing contracts on Feb. 1.
On top of being reunited with her former teammate, Wauters will be coaching a team of young talent including Kahleah Copper who the Sky cored on Jan. 12 with the goal of contending for back-to-back titles.
