The

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...

season was the franchise's 14th season in the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). The regular season tipped off on May 25 and concluded on September 8. On August 22, the team clinched a playoff berth for the first time in three seasons. During the offseason,

Amber Stocks Amber "AB" Stocks is an American basketball executive consultant, coach, and former player. She was most notably the General Manager and Head Coach of the Chicago Sky in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Stocks was as an assistan ...

was dismissed by the team as general manager and head coach. In November,

James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the ...

was announced as the team's new head coach. Wade was previously an assistant with

UMMC Ekaterinburg BC Ekaterinburg (russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. In reaction to the 2022 Russian inv ...

and the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...

. Three Sky players, all guards, were named as reserves to the

2019 WNBA All-Star Game The 2019 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition game, exhibition basketball game played on July 27, 2019. The Las Vegas Aces hosted the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Rosters Selection On June 12, the WNBA announced that 2019 would simila ...

: veterans

Allie Quigley Alexandria "Allie" Quigley (born June 20, 1986) is an American and Hungarian professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Quigley played for DePaul University in Chicago. After gradua ...

and

Courtney Vandersloot Courtney Vandersloot (born February 8, 1989) is an American and Hungarian basketball point guard for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Sopron Basket in the Hungarian National Championship. The third s ...

, and second-year player

Diamond DeShields Diamond Danae-Aziza DeShields (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the third overall pick in the 2 ...

. The Sky finished the season second in points per game, but second-to-last in points allowed. DeShields was team's leading scorer with 16.2 points per game, and Vandersloot broke her own all-time record with 9.1 assists per game. Vandersloot and DeShields were named to the first and second

All-WNBA Team The All-WNBA Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States ...

s respectively. In the first round of the

2019 WNBA Playoffs The 2019 WNBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2019 season. The Washington Mystics won the team's first WNBA title in their 22 year franchise history. Format Following the WNBA regular season, the top eight teams in the ...

, fifth-seeded Sky hosted the eighth-seeded

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...

, whom they defeated 105–76 in a single-elimination game. They lost their second-round single-elimination game on the road to the

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conferenc ...

by a score of 93–92 in the final seconds.

Transactions

WNBA draft

The Sky made the following selections in the 2019 WNBA draft:

Trades and Roster Changes

Additions

Subtractions

Roster

Season overview

Prior to the start of the season, new head coach James Wade prioritized improving defense as a key goal for the Sky this season. In the previous season, the Sky had recorded the league's worst defensive rating. The Sky lost their opening game against the Lynx on May 25, 2019, but won their home opener a week later against the Storm. After a road loss to the Mystics, the Sky proceeded to win four straight games. After a home loss to the Fever, the Sky faced the league-leading Sun, and surprised their opponents with a blowout 93–75 win. With a loss at home to the Mystics on June 26, Chicago held a 6–4 record ten games into the season. On a three-game road trip from June 28 to July 2, the Sky lost three games against the Storm, Sparks, and Aces, dropping to a 6–7 record. The Sky won 5 out of their next 6 games, however, and improved to an 11–8 record before the All-Star break. The only game they lost during this period was a July 10 home game against the Lynx, which they lost by one point. The stretch also included a one-point win against the Dream on July 17. Three Sky players—Diamond DeShields, Allie Quigley, and Courtney Vandersloot—were named as reserves in the

on July 27. Most of the team (all but three players) made the trip to Las Vegas for All-Star Weekend to support their teammates. DeShields won the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend, but Quigley failed to repeat as Three-Point Contest champion. On July 30, on a road trip to face the league-leading Sun, the Sky faced problems with canceled and delayed flights and did not arrive in their hotel until 4:45am on the day of the game. They rebounded with a win in their next road game against the Dream and improved to a 12–9 record. During a 101–92 comeback victory against the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...

on August 7, the Chicago Sky scored 42 points in the fourth quarter, the highest of any WNBA team since the league moved to a four-quarter format in 2006.

scored 22 points in the game, and

Jantel Lavender Jantel Lavender (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 WNBA draft by the Los Ang ...

double-doubled with 20 points and 10 rebounds. With this win, the Sky matched their previous season's win total of 13. Over their next four games, the Sky faced the two teams directly above them in the standings—the Las Vegas Aces and the Los Angeles Sparks—twice each. They split the series evenly with both teams, achieving a 15–11 record. Their home game against the Aces was marked by officiating controversies and a conflict between

Liz Cambage Elizabeth Folake Cambage (born 18 August 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Cambage currently holds the WNBA single-game scorin ...

and Cheyenne Parker, which resulted in technical fouls for both players. In their remaining five games in August, the Sky went 3–2, for an overall record of 18–13. This stretch included both a convincing home 85–78 win over the top-seeded Washington Mystics and a surprise home loss to the low-seeded Dallas Wings. In September, the Sky scored 100 points in two straight games with wins over the playoff-bound Phoenix Mercury and Connecticut Sun, before losing their last regular season game on the road to the Mystics. Finishing the season with a 20–14 record, they finished the season as the fifth-seeded team.

Game log

, - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 1 , May 14 ,

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

L 58–69
,

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...

(11) ,

Samuelson Samuelson is an English-language patronymic surname meaning "son of Samuel (name), Samuel". There are alternative spellings such as the Scandinavian language, Scandinavian-origin Samuelsson and Samuelsen. It is uncommon as a given name. Samuelson m ...

(7) , Vandersloot (6) ,

Wintrust Arena Wintrust Arena at McCormick Square, previously referred to as DePaul Arena or McCormick Place Events Center, is a 10,387-seat sports venue in the Near South Side community area of Chicago that opened in 2017. It is the current home court for ...

4,033 , 0–1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 2 , May 16 , @

L 65–76
,

(16) ,

(6) ,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

(5) ,

Bankers Life Fieldhouse A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

3,794 , 0–2

Regular season

, - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 1 , May 25 , @

L 71–89
, ''Tied'' (11) , Dolson (7) , Vandersloot (8) ,

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, ...

8,524 , 0–1 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 2 , June 1 ,

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

W 83–79
, Quigley (25) , Vandersloot (8) , Vandersloot (11) ,

7,063 , 1–1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 3 , June 5 , @

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...

L 85–103
, DeShields (24) , ''4 tied'' (5) , Vandersloot (8) , St. Elizabeth's East Arena
2,347 , 1–2 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 4 , June 9 ,

W 78–71
,

(18) ,

(11) , Vandersloot (7) ,

5,032 , 2–2 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 5 , June 11 ,

W 82–75
, DeShields (25) ,

(10) , Vandersloot (8) ,

4,212 , 3–2 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 6 , June 15 , @

W 70–64
, Quigley (18) ,

(10) , Vandersloot (8) ,

4,715 , 4–2 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 7 , June 19 , @

W 91–83
, Vandersloot (25) , ''Tied'' (8) , Vandersloot (6) ,

Westchester County Center The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a m ...

1,585 , 5–2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 8 , June 21 ,

L 69–76
, DeShields (19) ,

Lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

(7) , Vandersloot (8) ,

4,945 , 5–3 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 9 , June 23 ,

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

W 93–75
,

(22) ,

(13) , Vandersloot (7) ,

5,607 , 6–3 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 10 , June 26 ,

L 74–81
, Quigley (21) , DeShields (9) , Vandersloot (8) ,

8,914 , 6–4 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 11 , June 28 , @

L 76–79
, DeShields (19) ,

(10) , Vandersloot (6) ,

Alaska Airlines Arena Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion (formerly and still commonly referred to as Hec Edmundson Pavilion or simply Hec Ed) is an indoor arena in the northwest United States, on the campus of the University of Washington in ...

7,915 , 6–5 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 12 , June 30 , @

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

L 69–94
, DeShields (23) ,

(11) , Vandersloot (7) ,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...

11,067 , 6–6 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 13 , July 2 , @

L 82–90
, Quigley (18) , ''3 tied'' (6) , Vandersloot (12) ,

Mandalay Bay Events Center The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts In ...

3,516 , 6–7 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 14 , July 7 ,

Dallas Wings The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...

W 78–66
,

(20) ,

(10) , Vandersloot (11) ,

6,102 , 7–7 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 15 , July 10 ,

L 72–73
, Quigley (24) , DeShields (9) , Williams (5) ,

8,508 , 7–8 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 16 , July 12 ,

W 99–83
, ''Tied'' (17) , Dolson (9) , Vandersloot (12) ,

7,221 , 8–8 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 17 , July 14 , @

W 89–79
, DeShields (26) , ''Tied'' (7) , Vandersloot (8) ,

College Park Center College Park Center (CPC) is an indoor, multi-purpose arena on The University of Texas at Arlington campus in Arlington, Texas, United States. It seats up to 7,000 spectators. Its primary tenant is the Mavericks athletic department including ...

4,261 , 9–8 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 18 , July 17 ,

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...

W 77–76
, DeShields (22) ,

(10) , Vandersloot (9) ,

10,143 , 10–8 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 29 , July 21 ,

W 78–70
, ''Tied'' (19) ,

(11) , Vandersloot (14) ,

6,614 , 11–8 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 20 , July 30 , @

L 94–100
, Quigley (24) , Dolson (10) , Vandersloot (11) ,

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span. It was built by the Perini Buil ...

6,358 , 11–9 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 21 , August 3 , @

W 87–75
, Dolson (16) , DeShields (12) , Vandersloot (9) ,

State Farm Arena State Farm Arena (formerly Philips Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Atlanta Hawks. It also served as home to the National Hockey Leag ...

5,427 , 12–9 , - , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 22 , August 7 ,

W 101–92
, Quigley (22) ,

(10) , Vandersloot (8) ,

5,797 , 13–9 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 23 , August 9 , @

W 87–84
, ''3 tied'' (16) , DeShields (7) , Vandersloot (13) ,

4,200 , 14–9 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 24 , August 11 , @

L 81–84
, Quigley (20) , ''Tied'' (7) , Williams (6) ,

9,244 , 14–10 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 25 , August 16 ,

W 91–81
, Quigley (26) , Ndour (9) , Vandersloot (9) ,

7,907 , 15–10 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 26 , August 18 ,

L 85–100
, DeShields (28) , Ndour (10) , Vandersloot (9) ,

6,072 , 15–11 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 27 , August 20 , @

W 87–83
, DeShields (17) , Ndour (10) , Vandersloot (10) ,

4,662 , 16–11 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 28 , August 23 ,

W 85–78
, DeShields (22) , Vandersloot (8) , Vandersloot (9) ,

6,131 , 17–11 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 29 , August 25 , @

W 94–86
, Quigley (24) ,

(12) , Vandersloot (13) ,

Talking Stick Resort Arena Footprint Center (formerly known as America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena and Phoenix Suns Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Built in the regional population center of the southwestern United Sta ...

12,054 , 18–11 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 30 , August 27 , @

L 85–93
,

(22) ,

(8) , Vandersloot (10) ,

8,092 , 18–12 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 31 , August 29 ,

L 83–88
, Vandersloot (19) , Dolson (11) , Vandersloot (7) ,

5,614 , 18–13 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 32 , September 1 ,

W 105–78
, ''Tied'' (18) ,

(8) , Vandersloot (13) ,

8,845 , 19–13 , - style="background:#bbffbb" , 33 , September 6 , @

W 109–104
, DeShields (30) , Dolson (9) , Vandersloot (11) ,

8,077 , 20–13 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 34 , September 8 , @

L 86–100
, DeShields (16) ,

(6) , Vandersloot (6) , St. Elizabeth's East Arena
4,200 , 20–14

Playoffs

, - style="background:#bbffbb" , 1 , September 11 ,

W 105–76
, DeShields (25) , Ndour (9) , Vandersloot (11) ,

6,042 , 1–0 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 1 , September 15 ,

L 92–93
, DeShields (23) , Ndour (8) , Vandersloot (12) ,

Thomas & Mack Center The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference. History The facility was fi ...

7,981 , 0–1

Standings

Playoffs

Statistics

Regular season

Awards and honors

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2019 Chicago Sky Season Chicago Sky seasons

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Chicago Sky season