Los Angeles Sparks cut ties with coach Curt Miller after 2 losing seasons

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Curt Miller is leaving as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks after the WNBA franchise missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and second under him.

The team on Tuesday announced Miller’s dismissal, saying the sides had “mutually agreed to part ways.”

The Sparks, who own three WNBA championships, will begin their search for a new coach immediately.

The team was a league-worst 8-32 this season while enduring a series of injures, including to rookie Cameron Brink. They were 25-55 in Miller’s two seasons at the helm. This season, Dearica Hamby earned All-Star honors and The Associated Press Most Improved Player award. Rickea Jackson was voted to the AP All-Rookie Team.

Miller is 165-141 as a head coach in the WNBA, including a stint guiding the Connecticut Sun. He was the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2017 and the league’s first Executive of the Year when he also served as general manager of the Sun.

He led Connecticut to the WNBA Finals in 2019, when it lost to Washington. The Sun again made the Finals in 2022 and lost to Las Vegas. He was the first openly gay male coach in college or professional basketball when he joined the Sun.

Miller, who turns 56 next month, was a Sparks assistant in 2015.

“I want to thank the entire Sparks organization for the opportunity to lead and help rebuild the franchise,” Miller said in a statement through the team. “I am proud of the culture created in our locker room and strongly believe the roots have been established for a bright future. The team is now positioned for success, and I wish the players the best heading into the 2025 season.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball