Sports

Derek Fisher fired as head coach/general manager of WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks


Los Angeles Sparks fired head coach and general manager Derek Fisher and has appointed assistant Fred Williams as his interim replacement on the sidelines.

Hired before the 2019 season, Fisher finished 54-46 with the Sparks. The organization said it would begin looking for a new superintendent immediately.

“On behalf of our ownership team, I’d like to thank Derek for his efforts and contributions to the Sparks franchise,” managing partner Eric Holoman said in a statement. “We wish him all the best. I have full confidence in Fred Williams to step into the role of interim head coach, bringing with him a wealth of experience leading WNBA teams.”

The Sparks had been hoping to bounce back from last season’s 12-20 campaign, in which they missed the knockout stages for the first time since 2011. Despite bringing in Liz Cambage four times All-Star and 4th overall pick of 2020 Chen Kennedy Carter this season, Los Angeles is sitting only 5-7 and in eighth place on the standings starting this season, a stretch that includes a five-game losing streak in last month.

The Sparks also have an unfavorable schedule, playing only three of their 12 games at home.

Fisher, who won five championships playing with Los Angeles Lakers and was previously a coach for New York Knicks, was the only candidate considered to replace the former Sparks coach, said Brian Agler, Penny Toler general manager at the time. After Toler left the organization, Fisher finally assumed the GM role in December 2020.

“I want to thank the LA Sparks organization, ownership, staff, players, and fans for the opportunity they’ve given me over the past four years as part of this historic franchise,” Fisher said. said in the team’s statement and added that he plans to “shift my focus back to pursuing other opportunities and personal endeavours.”

“Their support has allowed me to grow as both a coach and a back-office executive and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Three-time champion Sparks, one of only three founding franchises remaining in the WNBA, won a playoff game in Fisher’s three full seasons. While the Sparks last won the WNBA title in 2016, they reached the Finals in 2017, losing to longtime rival Minnesota in five games.

Williams has extensive WNBA coaching experience, including head coach of Utah Starzz (1999-2001), Atlanta Dream (2012-13) and Tulsa Shock/Dallas Wings (2014-18), with whom he coached Cambage .

He was supposed to leave Los Angeles mid-season after taking a job as an associate head coach at Auburn, but a source told ESPN that he now intends to leave for Auburn after the WNBA season.



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