Brian Agler spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks as their head coach prior to his resignation.
Brian Agler resigned from his head coaching duties with the Los Angeles Sparks.
As reported by Mechelle Voepel of ESPN, Agler resigned from his position at the beginning of November and unable to speak about it until an official statement from the team was released.
In the team’s official press release, Executive Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler thanked Agler for his contributions to the team during his tenure and wished him well.
Agler joined the Los Angeles Sparks as head coach ahead of the 2015 season. He coached a 14-20 Sparks team to fourth place in the Western Conference in his first year with the team. The following season, Agler directed the Sparks to the franchise’s third WNBA Championship as they defeated the Minnesota Lynx in 2016.
Agler began his coaching career with Kansas State in 1993. Prior to his stint with the Los Angeles Sparks, Agler has been a coach in the WNBA since 1996 with the Columbus Quest, Minnesota Lynx, and the Seattle Storm. He was an assistant in the league for the Phoenix Mercury (2004) and San Antonio Silver Stars (2005-2007).
With all that this Sparks team has been through over these past four seasons, this announcement comes as a huge shock to Sparks fans and the rest of the WNBA. Agler and the Sparks did some special things together in the league over the years.
It was an uphill battle for the Sparks this past season. Los Angeles overcame injuries and illnesses throughout the 2018 season and finished the season in a disappointing manner to the team standards.
The Sparks finished with a 19-15 record and made it to the postseason. The Sparks defeated their rival Lynx in a competitive game in the first round at Staples Center then lost in the second round to the Washington Mystics.
Along with the Sparks to the 2016 Championship and back to back finals appearances, Agler’s tenure with Los Angeles ends as his coaching record was 85-51 with a .625 winning percentage. Agler currently has 269 wins as a coach in the WNBA.
There is still an opportunity to see Agler coaching in the league once again.
