Dallas Wings star fires back after fans demand coach’s firing

Fans aren't pleased with the Dallas Wings coach, but players are coming to his defense.

Jul 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes looks on during the first half against the New York Liberty at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings fell 88-77 to the New York Liberty, making it a fourth straight loss, and dropping to 8-23 for the season. Dallas didn't have Paige Bueckers, who missed the game with a back injury, but fans still weren't pleased with the results.

As the Wings were walking back to the locker room after the loss, a few fans near the bench yelled "We want Nola" chants in reference to assistant coach Nola Henry, looking to see current head coach Chris Koclanes dismissed. One of those fans even had a "Nola For Head Coach" shirt.

Wings forward Myisha Hines-Allen saw and heard the fans clamoring for the coaching change and confronted them directly.

what mha had to say 🥴 https://t.co/q3pFeybZLA pic.twitter.com/TE7C1FfUIy

— 𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑦𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎 ❤︎ (@FR33ARI) August 9, 2025

READ MORE: Paige Bueckers sidelined as Dallas Wings lose to New York Liberty

"I understand. Well, we want to do well, too," Hines-Allen started. "We can hear all the outside noise! You know we didn't start the season off well, we're not playing how we should be playing. But we need the fans to support us! [And the chants] aren't supporting us, though. Because at the end of the day, Chris is still our head coach. We still need him."

Koclanes is in his first season as the Wings' head coach, and he has a long-standing relationship with GM Curt Miller going back to their time together with the Connecticut Suns starting in 2016. He then followed Miller to the Los Angeles Sparks before spending a season with USC. But his first season as a head coach has not gone as expected, even with a superstar in Paige Bueckers.

Nola Henry has been with Koclanes for most of those stops, but she also spent time as the head coach of Rose BC of the new Unrivaled League, leading them to the title in the league's first season. That success has fans believing she could carry it over to the WNBA, but she hasn't gotten that chance yet.

Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Chris Koclanes Under Fire

Koclanes has been criticized by the fanbase all season for his press conference responses, but also for bad play draw-ups. A clip went viral last week of him drawing a play late in a clutch situation, and all of the players on the bench looked confused with the play, most notably, Paige Bueckers.

Most recently, he was called into question for saying Thursday after practice that he expected Paige Bueckers to play on Friday, but she didn't play. There really wasn't any reason for him to say that he expected Bueckers to play, because it only makes it look worse when she doesn't.

READ MORE: Dallas Wings looking to follow model of NBA champion OKC Thunder

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