It all began the day Chris Koclanes got the job. The hire raised eyebrows right out of the gate, and not just from fans on Twitter. When Sheryl Swoopes herself bluntly asked, “It’s one thing to be buddies, to be friends, to be whatever, and I get it… but this is about wins and losses,” the subtext was clear. She hinted at the fact that Koclanes didn’t land the role purely on merit. Her point was that Wings GM Curt Miller and Koclanes go way back, and to her, that old-boys’ network vibe overshadowed what the team and Paige Bueckers truly needed.

They needed someone with championship stripes. She even floated Lisa Leslie’s name, lamenting, “It’s a mind-boggling thought to me. I really wish I knew why [the teams that rejected Leslie] said no.” From there, the rookie head coach spent

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