The defending WNBA champion Chicago Sky have hired Ann Wauters as an assistant coach, General Manager/Head Coach James Wade announced in a press statement.

"We are very excited to welcome Ann to our staff." Wade said. "Ann has a wealth of experience. She was always recognized as being a smart, skilled and a hardworking player. I'm so happy that she's decided to share that with us. I think we all benefit from having players on staff. Especially ones as accomplished and team oriented as Ann."

Wauters has played professional basketball for more than two decades and is no stranger to the WNBA. She went #1 in the 2000 WNBA Draft—becoming the first Belgian player to do so—and won a championship in 2016 with the LA Sparks. During her career she has earned four EuroLeague titles, one EuroCup title, 12 domestic championships, 11 Cups and a bronze medal at the European Championship, and she is a five-time European player of the year. Wauters retired from playing this past summer following the Olympics in Tokyo.

She is now reunited with Candace Parker, with whom she won the 2016 WNBA championship.

Wauters—a member of the LGBTQ community—was the assistant coach at the 2015 World Championship U19, where she received her A level coaching degree. She will join Tonya Edwards and Emre Vatansever on Wade's bench for the upcoming 2022 WNBA season.