Get to know Teresa Weatherspoon, Phil Handy, and the other 4 Unrivaled coaches

Unrivaled — the new 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league — launches next Friday, Jan. 17 in Miami. 36 of the best players in the WNBA will be participating, including Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart (the league’s two co-founders), Sabrina Ionescu, Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner, and others.

But while the league — which has already amassed an impressive list of investors — certainly wants to be profitable, the messaging has been clear from the jump: player development and player satisfaction are the ultimate goals.

Alex Bazzell, Unrivaled’s president, comes from a player development background, having worked as a skills trainer for both WNBA and NBA players.

“Priority number one for us is the athletes enjoying the experience,” said Bazzell. “Because, if they enjoy the experience and they want to continue to double down or look at this as a long-term opportunity — which is what we believe right now — we won.”

As such, Unrivaled hired coaches with strong player development backgrounds for each of its six clubs: Adam Harrington (Phantom), Andrew Wade (Laces), DJ Sackmann (Lunar Owls), Nola Henry (Rose), Phil Handy (Mist), and Teresa Weatherspoon (Vinyl).

Here’s what you need to know about each of the six coaches — and how player development is a core aspect of each of their skillsets.

Adam Harrington, head coach of the Phantom

Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images

Phantom: Satou Sabally (Wings), Marina Mabrey (Sun), Brittney Griner (Mercury), Natasha Cloud (Mercury), Katie Lou Samuelson (Fever), and Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty)

Over a decade ago, basketball trainer Adam Harrington began a long relationship with Kevin Durant. Durant was in the midst of an MVP season on the Oklahoma City Thunder — and Harrington was one of the team’s player development coaches.

The two instantly hit it off.

Harrington — a former NBA player — began working closely with Durant in 2013, going beyond his responsibilities as one of the Thunder’s player development personnel. Durant wanted to model some of his workouts after Nowitzki, and Harrington — who shared the floor with Dirk Nowitzki during his playing days — made the introduction.

The player-coach duo continued to work closely together in Brooklyn when Durant became a Net in 2019 after three seasons in Golden State. Harrington had already been serving as a Nets assistant since 2016, and the connection to Brooklyn served as a draw for Durant when he entered free agency.

Now, Harrington is making a career pivot and becoming the head coach of an Unrivaled basketball team.

Andrew Wade, head coach of the Laces

Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

Laces: Jackie Young (Aces), Tiffany Hayes (Aces), Kayla McBride (Lynx), Alyssa Thomas (Sun), Kate Martin (Valkyries), and Stefanie Dolson (Mystics).

Just a few years ago, Andrew Wade was a sports blogger.

In 2018, he published an article debating the pros and cons of the Washington Wizards trading Bradley Beal. In 2019, he dove into his favorite NBA team’s three-point shooting.

Wade, a senior in college, loved basketball — and after playing three years of collegiate basketball at Catholic University in Washington DC, he wanted to be as immersed in the sport as possible.

Now, the longtime basketball enthusiast will get a chance to coach some of the best women’s basketball players out there, like perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas and four-time All-Star Kayla McBride.

“I’m excited to be in the head seat for the first time,” he said. “I’m excited to have that challenge and face that pressure.”

DJ Sackmann, head coach of the Lunar Owls

Lunar Owls: Napheesa Collier (Lynx), Courtney Williams (Lynx), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Storm), Allisha Gray (Dream), Shakira Austin (Mystics), and Cameron Brink (Sparks, will only play beginning in 2026).

DJ Sackmann is a world-renowned NBA skills coach with millions of social media followers — and extensive experience working with stars. In 2018, he founded HoopStudy, one of the largest online basketball education companies in the world, and he’s hosted basketball training events in countries around the globe.

Now, he’ll be one of six head coaches in Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league set to begin in Miami in January.

“I’ve always been a fan of the WNBA,” Sackmann said. “So, when I got the call for this, I was extremely excited. I’ve been able to spend offseasons working with [WNBA] players and got to understand the development side of things. When I got this, I just looked at it as an opportunity to learn from the best women in the world from my side of development, and then also be able to help them grow and work on their game throughout the offseason.”

Other head coaches in the Unrivaled mix have more experience working with actual teams and in the WNBA arena. But, Sackmann is highly regarded for his strength in player development.

“He’s probably the best at being able to describe what he is teaching,” said Adam Harrington, another Unrivaled head coach. “He’s such a phenomenal speaker and teacher.”

Nola Henry, head coach of the Rose

Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Rose: Chelsea Gray (Aces), Kahleah Copper (Mercury), Angel Reese (Sky), Brittney Sykes (Mystics), Lexie Hull (Fever), and Azura Stevens (Sparks)

Internships don’t typically turn into head coach positions.

But, Nola Henry — an intern for the Connecticut Sun in 2020 — worked tirelessly to make it happen. Now, just 4 years later, at 29 years old, the former college hooper may have gotten her big break.

“I’m super excited and grateful for the opportunity to coach so many of these amazing players,” Henry told reporters in her introductory media availability. “I’m looking forward to the strategy and the scheming, but I’m also looking forward to just building relationships with the players and getting to know them, and being challenged to execute X’s and O’s and just get started there.”

Henry is a hooper in her own right; the 5’7 guard played basketball at UMass Amherst, and then concluded her playing career at the College of Charleston. In 2018, she joined the coaching staff at Farleigh Dickinson University as a graduate assistant.

But the majority of Henry’s coaching experience comes from her tenure with the Connecticut Sun. She spent nearly five years in Uncasville, working under then-head coach Curt Miller and assisting the player development, video coordinators, and team operations.

When Miller departed Connecticut to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022, Henry went with him. There, she became one of Miller’s lead assistants.

“I’ve had pretty humble beginnings,” Henry said. “I started as an intern in Connecticut, but Curt has done a great job being extremely collaborative. So, I had opportunities to be in the room and be a part of high-level conversations, whether from a coaching standpoint, high-level games, or whether we were in the WNBA Finals in 2021. All of those experiences have prepared me for this opportunity.”

Phil Handy, head coach of the Mist

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET

Mist: Jewell Loyd (Storm), DiJonai Carrington (Sun), Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Courtney Vandersloot (Liberty), Rickea Jackson (Sparks), and Aaliyah Edwards (Mystics)

For six consecutive NBA Finals — from 2015 to 2021 — Phil Handy was a fixture on the sidelines. Handy, a longtime NBA assistant who previously played professional basketball overseas, was there through it all.

First, he served as an assistant on the Cleveland Cavaliers that won it all in 2016. Then, he was with Toronto Raptors when they won their title in 2019, and then with the Lakers for five seasons, including their 2020 championship. Through his tenure, he established himself as a three-time NBA champion and one of the most highly-regarded assistant coaches in the league, working closely with stars like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis.

Now, in a major pivot, the 53-year-old is joining Unrivaled — and will be a head coach for the first time.

Handy’s NBA coaching career began with a player development position on the Lakers in 2011, and it ended in 2024 after he decided to take a year away from the most competitive basketball league in the world.

After making that decision, he was approached by Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell — who he’d known for years — about a potential coaching opportunity.

“I’ve been a part of women’s basketball for a long time,” Handy said. “But, once me and my team had a chance to really dive into Unrivaled and really pull back the layers of what they were trying to accomplish, I was really fascinated by the whole concept.”

It just happens to be that Handy has considerable experience with several of his upcoming players on the Mist Club; during his tenure as an assistant coach on the Lakers, he did consulting work with the Storm, a coaching opportunity that allowed him to work directly with Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd, who were both in Seattle at the time.

Now, after being passed over as the head coach of the Lakers twice, Handy will serve as the head coach of a professional basketball team for the first time.

Teresa Weatherspoon, head coach of the Vinyl

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Vinyl: Arike Ogunbowale (Wings), Rhyne Howard (Dream), Aliyah Boston (Fever), Jordin Canada (Dream), Rae Burrell (Sparks), and Dearica Hamby (Sparks)

Weatherspoon — who was surprisingly fired by the Chicago Sky this past offseason — will be a head coach in the new professional 3-on-3 basketball league. Her involvement in Unrivaled doesn’t preclude her from any WNBA roles next season, as the position is a seasonal one.

But, it does mean she’ll be an inaugural coach for the historic basketball league.

Bazzell told SB Nation that the decision to hire Weatherspoon as one of the six coaches was a no-brainer.

“She has the experience of being a head coach in the WNBA,” Bazzell said. “She’s well-respected. She’s a former player, a legend in her own right, and she understands player development.”

Weatherspoon has plenty of experience both as a player and a coach. She led Louisiana Tech to an NCAA national title in 1998, and subsequently played eight professional seasons overseas in Italy, France, and Russia. She was one of the original players in the WNBA, beginning her tenure in 1997 and spending her first seven seasons with the New York Liberty before playing one season with the Los Angeles Sparks. Weatherspoon — a five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year — was voted one of the top 20 players in the history of the WNBA in 2016.

Soon after retiring from the league in 2004, she entered the coaching sphere, becoming the head coach of Louisiana Tech in 2009. She joined the New Orleans Pelicans as a player development coach in 2019, working closely with Pelicans star Zion Williamson — and was elevated to an assistant coach role for the Pelicans for three seasons before being let go.

She became the head coach of the Sky in 2023, leading a rebuilding team to a 13-17 record, and forming a close relationship with star rookie Angel Reese.

Weatherspoon’s extensive player development background in the NBA, experience as a player, and strength in relationship-building made her a natural fit for an Unrivaled coaching role.

“When I sat down with her, it was an easy conversation, because she gets it — she understands more than anyone what the power of this is for the players,” Bazzell said. “So, we just wanted people who could relate to the athletes, that could help the athletes improve — that could tap into mindset development as well. She was a no-brainer for us, to be quite honest.”

This article is the seventh installment of SB Nation’s “WNBA Explained” series, a weekly column diving deep into different topics related to women’s basketball. You can read last week’s column about WNBA officiating here.