ATLANTA, Ga. (February 9, 2023) – The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream have hired Vickie Johnson as an assistant coach to round out the coaching staff ahead of the 2023 season, the organization announced today.

“To say I am happy to have VJ join our staff would be an understatement,” said head coach Tanisha Wright. “I know firsthand that she fits exactly who we are as an organization, and I have a ton of respect for her and how she approaches the game of basketball. My first year as a coach in the W was alongside VJ, where she immediately took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. Having been a former player in this WNBA, she loves this league and, more importantly, she loves coaching and developing these players. She comes with a wealth of experience that will help me continue to grow as a head coach, and I have no doubt adding her to our staff will prove to be an enormous asset to our organization as we continue to grow.”

Johnson’s professional basketball resume spans 25 years, with her WNBA career beginning when she was drafted 12^th overall by the New York Liberty in the inaugural WNBA Elite draft in 1997. She went on to spend 13 years playing in the league, earning two WNBA All-Star nods (1999 and 2001) and winning the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2008. She became the first Liberty player to reach 2,000 career points, and played her final four seasons with the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Johnson returned to San Antonio as an assistant coach in 2011, which tipped off her now 12-year-long coaching career in the WNBA. In that time she spent three years as a head coach with both San Antonio and the Dallas Wings, leading the Wings to the WNBA Playoffs in both 2021 and 2022. In 2020, Johnson served as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces alongside Wright, leading the Aces to the WNBA Finals. Johnson has also served as both an assistant coach and a court coach for the USA Women’s National Team under head coach Dawn Staley in 2019 and Cheryl Reeve in 2022, respectively.

“The Atlanta Dream is an esteemed franchise, and I am thrilled to reunite with Coach Wright and Dan Padover, who are guiding this team into a dynamic new era,” Johnson said. “We share a lot of the same values when it comes to building a team, and I am confident in this staff’s vision and mission to foster an environment where players can reach their full potential. It is inspiring to collaborate with a talented group of women in the W who are emerging as influential leaders and innovative thinkers. I am excited to be contributing to building the Dream.”

She will join assistant coaches Paul Goriss and Barbara Turner, who will return for their second season with the Dream’s coaching staff this summer after helping Atlanta to its best record in five seasons in 2022.

About the Atlanta Dream

The Atlanta Dream is a professional women’s basketball team based in Atlanta, Ga. that strives to build a place where our team, our fans and our city come together to represent the community we seek to serve. We celebrate diversity, represent Atlanta, reward innovation and imagination, and aim to empower women both on and off the court. The team currently plays home games at the Gateway Center Arena @ College Park and has qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in nine of its first 15 seasons. To learn more about the Dream and purchase 2023 season tickets, please visit dream.wnba.com/tickets or call 877-977-7729.