“It has been a dream of mine to be involved with USA Basketball in any capacity, so I am very excited and honored to be selected to this position,” said Chicago Sky head coach James Wade, who in February will join his first USA Basketball staff as a court coach for the USA National Team. “I've always been a big fan of their structure and how dominant of a team they are. As a proud American citizen, being a part of this process is going to be amazing.

“What I’ll bring to the mix is my work ethic and ability to work with other people – I'll always bring good energy. I've already had experiences with the players and coaching staff so I’m looking forward to coming right in and being as helpful as possible. I’m ready to do whatever they need me to do.”

Making an immediate impact in Chicago, in his first year as head coach Wade was named the 2019 WNBA Coach of the Year after leading the Sky to its first playoff appearance in three years. This past season, Wade and the Sky finished with a 16-16 record in the regular season and went 8-2 in its run to the 2021 WNBA Championship.

Wade began coaching in 2012 as an assistant for the San Antonio Stars through 2016 and from 2017-18, served as an assistant coach to Reeve and the Minnesota Lynx, which won the 2017 WNBA crown, before taking over as head coach for the Chicago Sky in 2019.

Wade also served stints in the EuroLeague for BLMA in France and UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, where he aided Ekat to the 2018 EuroLeague title.