Lynx to hire Lindsay Whalen as assistant coach

The Minnesota Lynx are expected to hire one of the franchise's greatest players Lindsay Whalen as an assistant coach, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

Mystics head coach Eric Thibault will also join Cheryl Reeve's coaching staff as the associate head coach, according to the report.

Whalen played her last season with the Lynx in 2018 and then she was the head coach of the University of Minnesota's women's basketball team from 2018-2023. She has been around both teams since leaving the Gophers, but she will now officially join the Lynx staff as an assistant coach.

Thibault was fired by the Mystics in October after two seasons with the franchise. He had a 33-47 overall record but has 10 total years of coaching experience in the WNBA.

Associate head coach Katie Smith left for an assistant role at Ohio State earlier this offseason and Lynx general manager Clare Duwelius joined the new Unrivaled league. Reeve anticipates both Whalen and Thibault to take a "hands-on approach to player development," according to the ESPN report.