Washington Mystics Announce New Leadership

WASHINGTON, D.C. – WEBWIRE – Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger announced today that Jamila Wideman will lead the WNBAs Washington Mystics basketball operations as general manager, while Sydney Johnson will guide the teams on-court efforts as head coach.

Wideman joins the Mystics after spending six years at the NBA league office, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President of Player Development. In her role, she oversaw the leagues player development initiatives, managed relationships with external organizations, and spearheaded the leagues mental health and wellness platform Mind Health.

Jamilas breadth of experience, range of core competencies, and passion for developing the whole athlete, makes her the ideal person to usher in the new era of Mystics Basketball. Together with her player connectivity, big picture vision, and intimate knowledge of the global scope of our game, we feel strongly that Jamila will be a bedrock for our athletes, coaches, and staff as they pursue another championship for the DMV, stated Winger. Similarly, Sydney brings an exceptional combination of acumen, tenacity, and empathy that will elevate our play and galvanize the team around the new direction for this championship franchise. His deep love of basketball and passion for uplifting others make him a natural fit in our greater Monumental Basketball ecosystem.

A member of the inaugural WNBA draft class, Wideman was selected third overall in the 1997 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. In addition to the Sparks, she has been a member of the Portland Fire and Cleveland Rockers. Wideman has international experience as well, having competed professionally in Israel and Spain. A graduate of Stanford University, she helped lead the team to three consecutive NCAA Final Fours (1995-1997).

I have strong roots in the WNBA and have had the privilege of playing with, working alongside, and witnessing the incredible people who are the athletes at the center of the game, said Wideman. The very best I have seen share some core qualities curiosity, humility, and imagination. I look forward to building a Mystics team in partnership with the players, coaches, and staff that reflects this core. I hope to create a space where player voices and aspirations are centered in all we do on and off the court. We will build with intention, humanity, and joy.

Following her playing career, Wideman attended New York University Law School and went on to serve as a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer for more than a decade with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama and the Civil Division of the Legal Aid of Society in New York City.

Johnson brings 25 years of basketball experience to the Mystics. Most recently, he served as head coach of Team USAs 33 Womens AmeriCup team, which captured a silver medal at the 2024 FIBA 33 AmeriCup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Johnson has been a part of USA Basketball for the past five years. In 2023, he led the USA Basketball 33 U23 Mens World Cup Team to its first ever gold medal and served as an assistant coach and scout for USA Basketballs 2023 55 AmeriCup Qualifying Team.

Having spoken extensively with Jamila, Michael, and leadership it is clear to me how committed they are to supercharging our efforts to win another WNBA Championship, said Johnson. As a team, we will carry the core values that drive this franchise excellence, togetherness, joy, competitiveness, and accountability through everything we do from the way we practice and play to how we show up in the community and engage and inspire our fanbase.

Johnson spent the 2024 season as an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky. Before that, he spent eight years as the head coach of Fairfield University mens basketball team (2011-2019), leading them to four postseason appearances the most in school history. Johnson also served as associate head coach at the United States Air Force Academy.

Johnson started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Georgetown University and went on to serve as head coach at his alma mater, Princeton University, where Johnson earned consecutive Ivy League Coach of the Year Honors (2008-09, 2009-10). He spent his childhood in the Baltimore area and attended Towson Catholic High School.

Concurrent to his coaching roles, Johnson is the Vice President of Client Success at HD Intelligence, where he provides analytics, insights, and scouting support to Team USA and top collegiate programs, including 2024 NCAA champions University of South Carolina and University of Connecticut.

A standout student-athlete, Johnson led Princeton to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (1995-96, 1996-97) and is the only three-time captain in Princeton mens basketball history.

There are few things more valuable to me than tenacity, integrity, and excellence and those qualities are what make Jamila and Sydney stand above the crowd, stated Monumental Sports & Entertainment Partner Sheila C. Johnson. These highly decorated, accomplished, and world-class leaders will serve to empower and inspire our players by maintaining a championship culture filled with purpose and compassion.

Todays appointments of Jamila and Sydney represent a pivotal moment for the Mystics and our fans the best fans in the WNBA, said Washington Mystics Owner and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis. As I commemorate 20 years as owner of the Mystics in 2025, I am energized by the vision Michael, Jamila, and Sydney have for instilling and driving a culture of performance, achievement, empathy, and innovation for many years to come.

The Mystics will officially introduce Wideman and Johnson to the media and the DMV in the coming weeks.

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