The Los Angeles Sparks have fired head coach Kurt Miller after two seasons, the team announced in an official press release on Tuesday night, and star player Dearrica Hamby expressed her disappointment shortly thereafter.
“On behalf of our ownership group and franchise, I want to thank Coach Miller for the passion and dedication he has brought to the Sparks organization over the past two seasons,” said team president Eric Holloman. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Hamby, the Sparks' lone All-Star this season and a close public friend of Miller, expressed his support for the coach on Twitter/X shortly after the firing was announced.
“You supported me on all levels that some people will never see,” Hamby wrote. “We have seen what you are capable of and I wish we had more time.”
To translation: I am truly grateful for our relationship and I think it shows. You supported me on all levels that some people never see. I wish we could have spent more time together because we have seen what you are capable of. BUILD is still my mantra and you started it! I love you…
— Dearica Marie Hamby (@dearicamarie) September 25, 2024
“This is tough for me. I owe a lot of my successful transition and support to LA to Kurt,” Hamby said. He wrote on Twitter“I hope there's an openness to this process for a great coach with a proven track record. It shouldn't all be on his shoulders and there's a lot more to coaching than winning and losing.”
During Miller's two-year tenure, the Sparks finished with a 25-55 record. Prior to taking over as head coach of the Connecticut Suns for seven seasons, Miller was an assistant to the Sparks before that. Although he never led the Suns to a win, he led them to the 11th-most regular season wins in WNBA history with a career regular season record of 165-141. He is the Sparks' 17th head coach in 28 seasons.
In the Sparks' press release, the team noted the numerous individual awards won by Sparks players under Miller's leadership, including 2023 All-Star and All-Star selection Nneka Ogwumike;WNBA A member of the second team, Jordan Canada was named to the All-Defensive First Team. In 2024, Dearica Hamby was named a WNBA All-Star and the Associated Press Most Improved Player of the Year, and rookie Rikea Jackson was named to the Associated Press All-Rookie Team.
“I want to thank the entire Sparks organization for the opportunity to lead the team and help with the rebuild,” Miller said in an official statement. “I am proud of the culture that has been built in our locker room and strongly believe the foundation has been laid for a bright future. The team is now positioned for success and I wish the players all the best as we head into the 2025 season.”
Miller, formerly an assistant coach at Colorado State, where current Aces head coach Becky Hammon was a star point guard, was asked about the difficulty of winning in the WNBA and Miller's firing before the Aces' second game against the Storm.
“If the team doesn't win, the coach gets fired. Period. That's the deal,” Hammon said.
Becky Hammon commented on Kurt Miller's firing from the Sparks:
“If the team doesn't win, the coach gets fired. That's it. That's what you want.”
“You never want to see any coach lose their job.”
“We did our part. We got them two wins,” he joked. pic.twitter.com/xusYfBhaNa
— Noah Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) September 24, 2024
Hammon also acknowledged that there have been front-office changes during Miller's tenure, which further complicates things.
“I don't want to see coaches lose their jobs. I don't know what direction they're going in. But a lot of times when you get new management, they want to hire their own coaches, so I understand that aspect, because they have a clear vision of what they want the team to be,” Hammon said. “So it's hard, especially when it's a friend. It sucks.”
Hammon laughed as he pointed out that the Aces lost twice to the Sparks in the 2024 season.
“But we did our part and helped them get two wins.”
