The Washington Mystics have fired general manager Mike Thibault and head coach Eric Thibault, the team announced on Wednesday.
The Mystics finished ninth overall in the WNBA in 2024 with a 14-26 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
“After extensive reflection and conversation, we have decided we are at a point in our competitive and evolutionary cycle to turn the team over to new leadership with a renewed vision to carve our path into the future of WNBA basketball,” said team president Michael Winger in a statement. “Coach Mike elevated the Mystics program to its proud status as a league leader in innovation, the standard bearer in player care, and a model franchise. He built and coached the Championship team, developed high performing players, and pioneered many of the processes teams use today in building rosters and organizations. His fingerprints are all over this franchise and will be for years to come. We are grateful for Mike’s commitment, passion, and leadership and wish him well.”
Mike Thibault was hired as Mystics GM and head coach in Dec. 2012 and helped guide them to eight playoff appearances, including back-to-back WNBA finals which saw the franchise win its first title in 2019. He stepped away from coaching ahead of the 2023 season and hired his son, Eric, who served as an assistant coach for a decade, to take over.
The Mystics made the postseason in Eric Thibault’s first two seasons as head coach, but failed to win a playoff game during their two first-round defeats.
“Coach Eric is a skilled coach and equally talented motivator,” said Winger. “Our players are fortunate to have played for Eric these past two seasons, as will many other players in this league for decades ahead.”
The Mystics began the 2024 season 0-12 and ended up finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference with their lowest winning percentage since a 5-29 record in 2012.
Thibault is the fifth WNBA coach to be fired since the end of the regular season.
