Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Sky has announced the addition of Tanisha Wright to its coaching staff as an assistant coach under Head Coach Tyler Marsh. This announcement follows the recent appointment of Courtney Paris as an assistant coach on December 18.

Wright brings extensive experience to the team, having spent over 15 years in the league as both a player and a coach. Her most recent role was as head coach of the Atlanta Dream from 2021 to 2024, following her position as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces in 2020.

During her tenure with the Dream, Wright led the team to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2013 and achieved double-digit wins each season. She was honored as AP Coach of the Year in 2022 after guiding Atlanta to its highest win total (14) since 2018. Under her leadership, players Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray received back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Additionally, Howard was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2022, making Wright only the second coach in Dream history to have a player receive this accolade.

"Tanisha has built an outstanding resume as a player and coach in the WNBA with more than a decade of experience," said Marsh. "With a long history of accomplishment and player development, she will help us to build a winning culture at the Sky."

In addition to her coaching roles, Wright served as a scout for USA Basketball Women’s National Team during the 2024 Paris Olympics and was a court coach for their qualifying tournament earlier that year.

Wright's playing career spanned 14 years in the WNBA, beginning with Seattle where she was drafted No. 12 overall in 2005. She contributed to nine consecutive playoff appearances and won a championship with Seattle Storm in 2010. Her career also included stints with New York Liberty (2015-16) and Minnesota Lynx (2018), before retiring in 2019. She earned multiple defensive honors throughout her career including five-time WNBA All-Defensive First Team selections.

She began her coaching journey while still active as a player by serving as an assistant at University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2017.

Before turning professional, Wright had an impressive collegiate career at Penn State where she was recognized three times as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year among other accolades.

The Chicago Sky is set to start its regular season on May 17 against Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.