Report: Lynx bolsters coaching staff, hires Lindsay Whalen and Eric Thibault

The biggest changes for the Minnesota Lynx this offseason appear to come off the field.

The WNBA Finals runners-up made two key hires on Saturday, bringing in franchise legend Lindsay Whalen as an assistant coach and former Mystics head coach Eric Thibault as associate head coach to support reigning Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

After losing in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty, associate head coach Katie Smith moved to Ohio State and general manager Clare Duwelius joined the Unrivaled league.

Whalen, 42, is a Hall of Fame point guard who achieved her greatest success with the dynastic Lynx of the 2010s, helping them to four WNBA titles from 2011 to 2017. She retired from the game in 2018 with four league titles, five All-Star, five All-WNBA and three assist leader titles.

“It just feels like it’s time to come back, work hard and be part of a team and a group,” Whalen told Philippou. “It just felt like the timing was really right.”

She averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 480 regular season appearances over 15 years between Minnesota and the Connecticut Sun. She was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Before joining the Lynx, Whalen coached the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers for five seasons from 2018 to 2023, compiling a 71-76 record before being fired.

Thibault, meanwhile, was one of seven WNBA coaches fired this offseason. After his second season as head coach, he was fired by the Washington Mystics and led the team to a 14-26 record and fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

His father, Mike Thibault, is a well-known former WNBA coach. He spent 20 seasons in the league, was named Coach of the Year three times and won the championship with the Mystics in 2019. Before taking the main job in Washington, Eric worked under his father from 2013 to 2022.

According to Philippou, Reeve said Thibault has a “great feel” for the type of basketball she wants her team to play in Minnesota, as their five-out offense is similar to the one he played in Washington.

“The Thibaults and the Whalens have always been very close,” Thibault told Philippou. “Now we can put our heads together and try to help Cheryl and the Lynx become champions again.”