The Dallas Wings fired head coach Chris Koclanes after one season, the team announced Tuesday.
Koclanes, who was hired by Wings executive vice president and general manager Curt Miller after working as his assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks, guided Dallas to a 10-34 record in 2025 — tied for the league’s worst mark and nearly identical to last year’s 9-31 finish under Latricia Trammell.
“On behalf of the Dallas Wings, I want to thank Chris for his many and immediate contributions to the organization this past season,” Miller said in a statement. “With new team facilities being built, a youthful roster under contract, and the rights to three first round draft selections over the next two seasons, including a lottery pick in 2026, the Wings are well-positioned for future success. As we enter a pivotal point in our team’s future, we felt a change in leadership at this time was best for our organization.”
Dallas Wings‘ Season Struggles
The 2025 campaign was the Wings’ 10th in Dallas and 28th as a franchise. Despite drafting Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 pick and acquiring DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith in a four-team trade, the team stumbled through a season plagued by injuries and absences.
Tyasha Harris was lost to knee surgery, Maddy Siegrist missed time with a tibial plateau fracture, and Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder were away midseason for FIBA EuroBasket. Veteran Arike Ogunbowale was also sidelined by a season-ending injury down the stretch.
By season’s end, Dallas was without Geiselsöder, Li Yueru, JJ Quinerly, Harris, and Ogunbowale. The toll was steep: 136 total games missed to injuries and Euro commitments, five season-ending injuries, and 34 of 44 games played with 10 or fewer available players. Nine different players missed at least eight games, and no one appeared in all 44 contests.
The Wings tied a league record with 18 different starting lineups and matched another with 21 total players used, including eight hardship additions.
Bright Spots in a Tough Year
Bueckers emerged as the face of the franchise, averaging 19.2 points and 5.4 assists per game to earn Rookie of the Year and an All-Star starting nod. She also climbed to fifth all-time in rookie scoring.
Dallas ended the season on a high note with a 97-76 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 11, when Bueckers, Aziaha James, and Amy Okonkwo each scored 20-plus points — the first rookie trio in WNBA history to accomplish the feat.
Koclanes is the third head coach dismissed since the end of the regular season, joining New York’s Sandy Brondello and Seattle’s Noelle Quinn. Expansion franchises in Portland and Toronto are also seeking coaches ahead of their inaugural seasons. The Wings said a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
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