Former assistant Teresa Weatherspoon will be greatly missed next season

Despite adding highly-regarded names like James Borrego and Aaron Miles to their coaching staff (and also keeping Jarron Collins, despite him interviewing for the Detroit Pistons head coaching position), the New Orleans Pelicans will miss having Teresa Weatherspoon on their bench next season.

On a recent podcast appearance with Ros Gold-Onwude, Pelicans starting guard CJ McCollum spoke about how much Weatherspoon meant to their team and how much she will be missed next season.

"“Two things … [First,] I’m never surprised by the things that happen in this business because I know how the business works,” McCollum said during his appearance on the Sideline Stroll. “And the second part is, as a player, I had worked out with [Weatherspoon] the day before she was dismissed. So, obviously, I have a really good relationship with her, and you never want like that to happen.”“But understanding this business and the way it moves and how fickle it is, nothing really surprises me anymore. We’re going to miss her. She was instrumental in a lot of our development individually, but also off the court, a great human being. Obviously a Hall of Famer. Does things the right way on and off the court. [She] had the respect of everyone. [Weatherspoon] is someone who I’ll be thankful for forever. In terms of the conversations that we’ve had, being able to work alongside her and her presence is a true blessing. The way she carries herself. The way she speaks. All of those things. So, we’re definitely going to miss her being around the locker room.”"

As you can see from the quote above, McCollum has nothing but love and admiration for the former Pelicans assistant. And the crazy thing is he isn’t even the player she had the closest bond with. That award would go out to the team’s franchise centerpiece, Zion Williamson. We aren’t going to pretend to be privy to the dynamics that come into play when it comes to running a team, but one can’t help but wonder why the Pelicans thought it would be a good idea to let her go.

Before being let go in June, Weatherspoon had spent the last four seasons with the team and had even declined other opportunities to stay with the organization. Before that, Weatherspoon spent eight seasons in the WNBA, earning an All-Star nod in five of them.

Recently, it was rumored that Weatherspoon could be up for a coaching position with the Chicago Sky. Weatherspoon was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.