Agler resigns as coach of WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks

Brian Agler is ready for a new challenge. The longtime WNBA coach resigned as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday after four years with the team that included winning a championship in 2016.

“Sometimes it’s time to make a change,” Agler said in a phone interview with the AP on Friday.

Agler officially resigned on Nov. 1, but was required by contract to give the team 30 days’ notice. The team announced the move Friday morning.

He is the all-time winningest coach in U.S. women’s professional basketball with 315 regular-season wins. He’s the first coach in league history to win titles with two different teams: Agler guided the Seattle Storm to the 2010 WNBA championship. He had an 85-51 career mark with the Sparks, including 19-15 in the regular season this year before they lost in the second round of the playoffs.

“My four years in L.A. were some of the most enjoyable and memorable in my coaching,” Agler said. “I was associated with great players and people with our team. There was tremendous ownership and the front office was supportive. I was happy to be a part of that organization winning a championship.”

Agler, 60, was hired as the 12th coach in franchise history on Jan. 5, 2015. In his first season, the team made its league-leading 15th playoff appearance, losing in the first round. Agler signed an extension in 2017 with the team that ran through 2019. If the Sparks make the WNBA Finals next year, his contract would have been picked up for the 2020 season.