Wings part ways with Vickie Johnson after second straight loss in first round of the playoffs
The Dallas Wings are the third WNBA team that will be in the market for a new coach next season. The team will not pick up Vickie Johnson's option, it announced Monday.
The Wings saw improvement under Johnson in her second season at the helm. After going 14-18 in 2021, the team improved to 18-18 in her second year. The team experienced two first-round playoff exits in those seasons. The Wings lost to the eventual champion Chicago Sky in a single-elimination game in 2021 and dropped a three-game series (2-1) against the Finals runner-up Connecticut Sun in 2022.
Johnson finished with a 32-36 record, and the team went 1-3 in the postseason.
That wasn't good enough for the Wings, who believed a change was necessary to win a WNBA championship.
“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 said in a release. “I would like to thank Vickie for her work on behalf of the organization and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
The news comes a day after the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Sun in the WNBA Finals.
The Wings say they will begin searching for a replacement immediately. The Wings, Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever all have head-coach openings.
