Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve announced on Saturday that former Gophers women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Whalen will join the Lynx as an assistant coach.
This marks Whalen’s first coaching position in the WNBA.
She will work alongside former Washington Mystics head coach Eric Thibault, who is joining the Lynx as associate head coach.
These additions come after the Lynx’s overtime loss to the New York Liberty in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Championship.
“Lindsay adds a unique perspective as a Lynx legend and Naismith Hall of Famer,” Reeve said in a press release.
“I look forward to working with both in our quest for another WNBA Championship.”
Thibault will replace former associate head coach Katie Smith, who left the Lynx to join Ohio State as an assistant coach.
Whalen will work alongside current assistant coach Rebekkah Lamar Brunson.
Whalen returns to coaching after stepping down unexpectedly as head coach of the Gophers in March 2023.
As a player, Whalen starred for the Gophers from 2000 to 2004 before being selected fourth overall by the Connecticut Sun in the 2004 WNBA Draft.
After six years with the Sun, she was traded to the Lynx, where she led the team to four WNBA championships in nine seasons.
“I couldn’t imagine joining a better staff as I return to coaching and get my first opportunity to coach in the WNBA,” Whalen said in a press release.
“We have a special group with this team, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Whalen also earned Olympic gold medals with Team USA at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, where Reeve served as an assistant coach.
Both the Gophers and the Lynx have retired Whalen’s No. 13 jersey in her honor.
