CHICAGO (August 24, 2022) — The Chicago Sky announced today that General Manager and Head Coach James Wade has agreed to and signed a contract extension keeping him with the Sky through the 2025 season. Per team policy, terms of the contract are not disclosed.
“I’m very excited and pleased that the organization has entrusted me to lead this franchise and it’s very humbling to know that I get to coach this group of players and work in this great organization for an extended period of time,” Wade said. “I’m very honored and I feel very blessed.”
As the Sky’s sixth general manager and head coach, Wade has built one of the most successful periods in franchise history, including a WNBA Championship. Holding the highest winning percentage of any Sky coach, Wade produced a 74-50 win-loss record (.597) across his first four seasons.
“We are thrilled and privileged to extend James’ contract with the Sky,” said Sky owner Michael Alter. “In a very short time, he has proven to be one of the best coaches and executives in the league. He has done an amazing job creating and leading the championship culture of the Sky, where players play hard and unselfishly for each other. We look forward to many more incredible championship seasons under his leadership.”
In 2021, Wade led the Chicago Sky to the team’s first WNBA championship. Leading Chicago to four consecutive playoff appearances, Wade is the only Sky coach to reach the playoffs in every season. Under Wade, the Sky finished the 2022, 2020, and 2019 regular seasons over .500, a milestone the team had only hit three other times in the 15 seasons since the Sky’s 2006 inception and helped lead the team to its first championship in 2021. The 2019 WNBA Coach of the Year, Wade also became the first Sky coach to reach 30 wins in only 48 games, the fastest in team history.
Now leading the Sky into the 2022 WNBA Playoff Semi-Finals, Wade finished his fourth regular season with a franchise record of 26 wins. The Sky set the WNBA record for assists per game (24.3) and total assists (874). Wade was named the WNBA Coach of the Month in both June and July of the 2022 season, after the Sky finished 9-2 during those months. Wade was also selected as one of two head coaches for the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game and was recently named Executive of the Year by the WNBA on August 22, 2022.
Under the new contract, Wade will be the longest-running Sky general manager and head coach, signing on for a total of seven years with the franchise (2018-2025).
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