Lindsay Whalen returns to Lynx as assistant coach; Eric Thibault hired as associate head coach

MINNEAPOLIS — Lindsay is back in action.

The Lynx announced Saturday that Lindsay Whalen, their Hall of Fame point guard, will join the team as an assistant coach along with former Washington Mystics coach Eric Thibault, who will be associate head coach.

Whalen, who led the University of Minnesota to a Final Four and was a three-time All-America before starting her pro career, also coached her alma mater for five seasons after retiring from the WNBA as a four-time league champion with the Lynx playing for Cheryl Reeve.

She was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Reeve, the Lynx president of basketball operations and head coach, announced the hires in a news release. The team will hold a news conference Monday.

“Eric has vast experience coaching in the WNBA as both a head and an assistant coach and ... Lindsay adds a unique perspective as a Lynx legend and Naismith Hall of Famer,” Reeve said in the release.

Thibault coached the Mystics the past two seasons after being an assistant for the previous 10 years under his father, Mike Thibault. Washington won the WNBA title in 2019. Eric Thibault was fired in October after the Mystics went 33-47 in his two seasons, including 14-26 in 2024.

Whalen was 71-76 in her five seasons (2018-23) with the Gophers, and 32-58 in the Big Ten. Whalen left the job in March 2023 in what was described as a mutual decision with athletic director Mark Coyle. She accepted a $215,000 settlement to be terminated without cause rather than continue to work for her alma mater as a special assistant.

Whalen said at the time she was not ready to return to coaching right away. As the Lynx made a run to the WNBA Finals last season, she cheered them on from courtside.

“I’m so excited to be back with the Lynx and back with Coach and Bekky [assistant coach Rebekkah Brunson],” Whalen said in the release. “Eric and I have also known each other for a long time, and for me, I couldn’t imagine joining a better staff as I return to coaching and get my first opportunity to coach in the WNBA. We have a special group with this team and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Lynx associate head coach Katie Smith left the team on Nov. 11 to join the staff at Ohio State, her alma mater. Reeve brought in Smith in 2020, after she her contract wasn’t renewed following two losing seasons as head coach of the New York Liberty.

Whalen’s jersey No. 13 is retired by both the Lynx and the Gophers. Whalen was a five-time All-Star in nine seasons in Minnesota after starting her WNBA career with six seasons at Connecticut, where she played under Mike Thibault.

She played in 480 regular-season games, winning 323 (second most behind Sue Bird in league history) and won 54 postseason games (second in league history behind Brunson’s 57). Whalen won Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 2012 and 2016.

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