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 2006 season. The Sky experienced a period of success from 2013 to 2016, making four playoff appearances and playing in the

2014 WNBA Finals The 2014 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2014 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Phoenix Mercury, champions of the Western Conference, faced the Chicago Sk ...

. They experienced a second period of success starting in 2019 and won their first championship in the

2021 WNBA Finals The 2021 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2021 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2021 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the f ...

. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter (principal owner) and Margaret Stender (minority owner). Unlike many other WNBA teams, it is not affiliated with a National Basketball Association (NBA) counterpart, although the Chicago Bulls play in the same market.

Franchise history

Franchise origin

In February 2005, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that Chicago had been awarded a new WNBA franchise, temporarily named ''WNBA Chicago''. On May 27, 2005, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player and coach Dave Cowens was announced as the team's first head coach and general manager. The team home would be the UIC Pavilion. On September 20, 2005, the team name and logo formally debuted at an introduction event held at the Adler Planetarium. Team President and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Margaret Stender explained the team colors of yellow and blue represent " beautiful day in Chicago between the blue sky and bright

sunlight Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when t ...

to highlight the spectacular skyline." The event was highlighted by the appearance of several star players, including

Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has w ...

Temeka Johnson Temeka Rochelle Johnson (born September 6, 1982) is a former American professional basketball player. Her primary position was point guard. High school years Johnson attended Bonnabel High School in Kenner, Louisiana. College years Johnson playe ...

Sue Bird Suzanne Brigit Bird (born October 16, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association ( WNBA) Bird was drafted by the Storm first over ...

, and Ruth Riley. In November 2005, the team held an expansion draft to help build its roster of players. Among the notable selections were Brooke Wyckoff from the Connecticut Sun, Bernadette Ngoyisa from the

San Antonio Silver Stars The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...

, Elaine Powell from the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. ...

, and Stacey Dales (who had retired prior to the 2005 season) from the Washington Mystics. On February 28, 2006, the team announced that two of the minority shareholders of the team are Michelle Williams, from the vocal group

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

, and Mathew Knowles, father of Destiny's Child lead singer Beyoncé Knowles.

Early years and limited success (2006–2012)

In their first season, the Sky achieved a 5–29 record and finished last in the Eastern Conference. After the season, head coach Dave Cowens resigned to join the coaching staff of the Detroit Pistons. University of Missouri-Kansas City women's head basketball coach Bo Overton was named the Sky's new head coach and general manager on December 12, 2006. The Sky once again recorded a league-worst 5–29 record in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. Despite having the highest odds of drawing the first pick in the 2007 WNBA draft lottery, the Sky ended up with the third overall pick, which they used to select Armintie Price. The team was vastly improved in the 2007 season, but still finished with a 14–20 record and were two games behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Price was named the 2007 WNBA Rookie of the Year. On March 12, 2008, the Sky announced that Overton had resigned his position of coach/general manager. Assistant coach

Steven Key Steven Key (born May 14, 1968) is an American professional basketball coach and former professional player. Career Key attended Atholton High School in Columbia, Maryland, and was named the 1986 Howard County Player of the Year. He was a four- ...

was named head coach/general manager. Sylvia Fowles WNBA

With the second overall pick in the

2008 WNBA draft The WNBA draft is the league's annual process for determining which Women's National Basketball Association teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The 2008 draft was held on April 9. A lottery was held on October ...

, the Sky selected

Sylvia Fowles Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles (born October 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Fowles played for the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx during her career in the WNBA. She won the WNBA MVP Award in 2017 and the WNBA Defensive Pl ...

. In the 2008 season, the Sky would once again fail to make the playoffs, posting a 12–22 record, finishing 5th in the East. Fowles was injured for most of the season (she was, however, selected to play on the winning U.S. team at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, where she average 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game). In the 2009 WNBA draft, the Sky selected point guard

Kristi Toliver Kristi Renee Toliver (born January 27, 1987) is an American-Slovak professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and an NBA assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks. During her ro ...

with the third overall pick. Toliver had recently won the

NCAA Women's Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic ...

with the University of Maryland, where she had shot a game-tying three-point basket to send the game into overtime. In the 2009 season, the Sky contended for a playoff position, but finished with a record of 16-18 and lost a three-team tiebreaker to the Washington Mystics for the final playoff position. Entering the 2010 season, the Sky moved to Allstate Arena in the suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. The team's roster underwent several changes, highlighted by the trading away of Candice Dupree and

and the acquisition of Shameka Christon and

Cathrine Kraayeveld Cathrine Helene Kraayeveld (born September 30, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA. Her father, Dave, played football for the Seattle Seahawks in 1978. High school and college Cathrine attended La ...

. At one point during the season, they were at .500, just a few games back for the final playoff spot. However, they lost eight of their final ten games and were eliminated from playoff contention, finishing with a 14–20 record. Key resigned as GM and coach, and was replaced on October 28, 2010, by former LSU head coach Pokey Chatman. In

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, the Sky were led again by Fowles, who averaged a double-double (20 points and 10.2 rebounds per game). The Sky once again finished the season at 14-20 but were encouraged by going 10-7 at home. The Sky selected Shey Peddy with the 23rd pick and Sydney Carter with the 27th pick in the 2012 WNBA draft. Peddy and Carter were both eventually waived on May 14, 2012. The Sky began the 2012 season 7-1, but finished 14–20 for the third consecutive season. The Sky remained the only WNBA franchise to never make the playoffs.

Playoff runs (2013–2016)

The 2013 season was a turning point for the Sky. In the draft, they selected Elena Delle Donne with the second overall pick. Delle Donne became the first rookie to lead All-Star voting, averaging 18.1 points per game (fourth in the league) and leading the Sky to a 24-10 record and first place in the Eastern Conference. Delle Donne was named Rookie of the Year, Fowles was named

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

and led the league in rebounds, and teammate Swin Cash received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. Chatman finished a close second for Coach of the Year, Delle Donne narrowly missed the MVP award, and Fowles and Delle Donne were named to the All-WNBA first and second teams. Reaching the playoffs for the first time, the Sky lost in the conference semifinals to the

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 ...

. In the 2014 season, the Sky posted an unimpressive 15-19 regular season record, but qualified for the playoffs as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. Guard

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 ...

, who had grown up in nearby Joliet, Illinois, was named Sixth Woman of the Year. In the playoffs, they won two best-of-three series in the conference semifinals and finals to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time. In the best-of-five series, they were swept by the

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 ...

in three games. In February 2015, the Sky acquired Chicago native Cappie Pondexter from 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 ...

in a straight-up trade for Epiphanny Prince. At the end of the 2015 season, they posted a 23-11 record and earned second place in the Eastern Conference. Delle Donne was named the league's Most Valuable Player, point guard Courtney Vandersloot led the league in assists, and Quigley was once again named Sixth Woman of the Year. Despite their improved regular season performance, the Sky fell to the Indiana Fever in the conference semifinals. In the 2016 season, under the WNBA's new playoff format where teams were seeded regardless of conference, the Sky finished 4th in the league and returned to the playoffs, but lost 3-1 in the semifinals to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Rebuilding (2017–2018)

The Sky hired

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 ...

as head coach and general manager, replacing Chatman, on December 6, 2016. During the 2016–17 offseason, in what was called one of the biggest trades in league history, the Sky traded Delle Donne to the Washington Mystics, receiving Kahleah Copper,

Stefanie Dolson Stefanie Dolson (born January 8, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA draft. Dolson played center for th ...

, and the Mystics' second overall pick in the

2017 WNBA draft The 2017 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2017 WNBA season. On March 30, the WNBA announced that the draft would take place on April 13 in New York at Samsung 837. Draft lottery The lottery selection to determine the order of the top fo ...

. In the 2017 season, the Sky posted a 12–22 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. In the ensuing

2018 WNBA draft The 2018 WNBA draft was the WNBA, league's draft for the 2018 WNBA season. On March 12, the league announced the draft would be held on April 12 at Nike, Inc., Nike New York City, New York Headquarters, a recently opened secondary headquarters for ...

, they selected Diamond DeShields and

Gabby Williams Gabrielle Lisa Williams (born September 9, 1996) is an American-French professional basketball player. She was drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2018 WNBA draft. In 2022 she was a EuroLeague champion with Sopron and was named the Fi ...

in the first round. In the 2018 season, they posted a 13–21 record and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season. On August 31, 2018, the Sky relieved Stocks as head coach and general manager. During these seasons, Courtney Vandersloot led the league in assists (setting a new assists-per-game record in 2017) and

won back-to-back Three-Point Contests at the All-Star Game.

Return to the playoffs and first championship (2019–present)

In November 2018, the Sky hired

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 ...

as the team's new head coach and general manager. The Sky selected Katie Lou Samuelson in the first round of the

2019 WNBA draft The 2019 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2019 WNBA season. On March 19, the league announced the draft would be held on April 10 at Nike New York headquarters. The first round was televised on ESPN2, and the second and third rounds were ...

and traded away

Alaina Coates Alaina Denise Coates (born April 7, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Galatasaray in Turkey. She played college basketball for the University of South Carolina. High School career Coates enjoyed a stellar high school caree ...

. The 2019 season would be a turnaround for the Sky, as they finished with a 20–14 record and entered the playoffs as a fifth seed. Wade received the

WNBA Coach of the Year Award The Women's National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season. The winner is selected at the end of regular season by a panel of sportswr ...

for the regular season, and Courtney Vandersloot exceeded her own assists-per-game record for the second straight season. Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Diamond DeShields were all named All-Stars, and DeShields won the All-Star Game Skills Challenge. In the playoffs, they defeated the

in the first round, but then lost to the Las Vegas Aces on the road on a buzzer-beater in the final seconds. In the 2020 season, which was shortened and held in a bubble in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sky showed promise early in the season but battled injuries and ended the season with a sixth-seeded 12–10 record. They lost a first round single-elimination game to the

. On February 1, 2021, the Sky announced the signing of free agent Candace Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP and

WNBA Finals MVP The Women's National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season. During the first four years of the league, the Houston Come ...

. Parker, who had grown up in Naperville, Illinois and played her first 12 seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Sparks, stated that she wanted to return to her hometown team. The Sky had a volatile 2021 season, including a seven-game losing streak and a seven-game winning streak, which they ended with a 16-16 record. They entered the playoffs as the 6th seed, winning two single-elimination games and a semifinals series against the Connecticut Sun on their way to the Finals. On October 17, 2021, the Sky won their first WNBA Championship after defeating the

3-1 in the

. Kahleah Copper was named the Finals MVP. A parade and rally to celebrate the team were held on October 19, 2021. Since the new playoff format was adopted, the Sky became the lowest-seeded team and first team without a winning record to win the championship.

Name, logo, and uniforms

Uniforms

* 2006–2010: At home, white with light blue on the sides. Collar is light blue. On the road, light blue with gold on the sides. Collar is gold. * 2011–2012: At home, white with light blue stripes on the sides. Collar is light blue. On the road, light blue with gold stripes on the sides. Collar is gold. In addition, both the home and away uniforms feature the team nickname and numbers in gold. * 2013–2014: A new number and name font was introduced, while the basic uniform design was retained. * 2015:

Magellan Corporation Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...

introduced as new Jersey sponsor. Unlike most teams with jersey sponsors, the Sky opted to emblazon the Magellan logo on the left shoulder in place of the team's alternate logo. * 2016: As part of a league-wide initiative, all games featured all-color uniform matchups. Therefore, the Sky unveiled a gold uniform in addition to their regular light blue road uniform. Magellan was retained as the uniform sponsor. * 2018: Magellan was joined by University of Chicago Medicine as jersey sponsors.

Season-by-season records

Players

Current roster

Former players

* Cappie Pondexter (2015–2017) * Imani Boyette (2016–2017) *

Tamera Young Tamera "Ty" Young (born October 30, 1986) is a former American basketball player who is currently a free agent. After playing collegiately for James Madison University, Young was drafted by the Atlanta Dream with the 8th overall pick of the 2008 ...

(2009–2017) * Monique Currie (2007) * Stacey Dales (2006–2007) * Elena Delle Donne (2013–2016), now a member of the Washington Mystics *

Érika de Souza Érika Cristina de Souza (born 9 March 1982) is a Brazilian professional basketball player for BC Castors Braine of the EuroLeague.

(2015–2016) * Clarissa dos Santos (2015-2016) * Candice Dupree (2006–2009), now a member of the

(2008–2014), now a member of 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 ...

(2010–2011) *

Stacey Lovelace-Tolbert Stacey Lovelace (born December 5, 1974) is an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA. Lovelace attended college at Purdue University and graduated in 1996. On May 2, 2000, she was assigned with the Indiana Fever later in ...

(2006) *

Nikki McCray Nikki Kesangane McCray-Penson (born December 17, 1971) is the former head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball team and a former professional women's basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Associat ...

(2006) *

Chasity Melvin Chasity Melvin (born May 3, 1976) is a retired American professional basketball player, originally from Roseboro, North Carolina. A 6'3" (1.90 m) forward, Melvin entered the WNBA in 1999, and played for the Cleveland Rockers, the Washington My ...

(2006–2008) * Bernadette Ngoyisa (2006–2007) *

Chelsea Newton Chelsea Newton (born February 17, 1983) is an American women's college basketball coach, currently the associate head coach at Texas A&M. Newton served as an assistant coach at Rutgers University from 2010 to 2015 and at Georgia from 2015 to 2022 ...

(2006) * Jia Perkins (2006–2010) * Elaine Powell (2006) * Ashley Robinson (2006) * Brooke Wyckoff (2006–2009) *

(2017-2021), now a member of

Coaches and staff

Owners

* Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender (2006–present)

Head coaches

General managers

* Dave Cowens (2006) * Bo Overton (2007) *

(2008–2010) * Pokey Chatman (2011–2016) *

(2017–2018) *

(2019–present)

Assistant coaches

(2006–2007) *Roger Reding (2007) *

Stephanie White Stephanie Joanne White (formerly Stephanie White-McCarty; born June 20, 1977) is a former professional basketball player and head coach of the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. She was previously head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basket ...

(2007–2010) * Michael Mitchell (2008–2010) *Jeff House (2011–2012) *Christie Sides (2011–2016) *

Tree Rollins Wayne Monte "Tree" Rollins (born June 16, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, ...

(2013–2015) *Jonah Herscu (2016) * Carlene Mitchell (2017) * Awvee Storey (2017) * Carla Morrow (2018–2019) * Bridget Pettis (2019) *

Olaf Lange Olaf Helliesen Lange (11 February 1875 – 19 April 1965) was a Norwegian painter and print maker. Lange's '' fin-de-siècle'' art has its own special approach visualizing the complexity of the modern urban life. Olaf Lange is best known for h ...

(2020–2021) *

Emre Vatansever Emre Vatansever is an assistant coach for Chicago Sky in the WNBA and the head coach of Çukurova Basketbol in Turkey. Vantansever has previously been an assistant with Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi and Galatasaray, while also serving as a coac ...

(2020–present) *

Tonya Edwards Tonya LaRay Edwards (born March 13, 1968) is an American retired professional basketball player born in Flint, Michigan, currently an assistant coach of the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She was previously head coach of the Alcorn State Lady Braves ...

(2021–present) * Ann Wauters (2022-Present)

Statistics

, - ,

, C. Dupree (13.7) , B. Ngoyisa (5.7) , J. Perkins (3.2) , 68.3 vs 79.0 , 30.5 vs 36.4 , .394 vs .452 , - ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, C. Dupree (16.7) , C. Dupree (7.7) , D. Canty (4.1) , 74.3 vs 76.8 , 34.3 vs 36.0 , .406 vs .429 , - ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, J. Perkins (17.0) , C. Dupree (7.9) , D. Canty (4.1) , 72.7 vs 73.8 , 33.1 vs 34.1 , .428 vs .416 , - ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, C. Dupree (16.7) , C. Dupree (7.9) , D. Canty (3.2) , 75.7 vs 79.2 , 31.9 vs 34.0 , .435 vs .442 , - , - ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, S. Fowles (17.8) , S. Fowles (9.9) , D. Canty (3.4) , 76.1 vs 76.8 , 31.7 vs 33.4 , .437 vs .444 , - ,

, S. Fowles (20.0) , S. Fowles (10.2) , C. Vandersloot (3.7) , 74.2 vs 75.2 , 33.8 vs 32.6 , .438 vs .418 , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, E. Prince (18.1) , S. Fowles (10.4) , C. Vandersloot (4.6) , 75.2 vs 75.5 , 34.9 vs 30.1 , .431 vs .429 , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, E. Delle Donne (18.1) , S. Fowles (11.5) , C. Vandersloot (5.6) , 79.4 vs 73.6 , 37.1 vs 33.2 , .420 vs .404 , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, E. Delle Donne (17.9) , S. Fowles (10.2) , C. Vandersloot (5.6) , 76.2 vs 78.2 , 34.1 vs 35.6 , .434 vs .420 , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, E. Delle Donne (23.4) , E. Delle Donne (8.4) , C. Vandersloot (5.8) , 82.9 vs 78.8 , 36.6 vs 33.6 , .446 vs .425 , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, E. Delle Donne (21.5) , E. Delle Donne (7.0) , C. Vandersloot (4.7) , 86.2 vs 85.6 , 35.6 vs 32.9 , .462 vs .436 , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, A. Quigley (16.4) , J. Breland (6.3) , C. Vandersloot (8.1) , 82.1 vs 87.2 , 33.8 vs 36.5 , .461 vs .435 , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, A. Quigley (15.4) , Ch. Parker (5.8) , C. Vandersloot (8.6) , 83.8 vs 90.1 , 33.1 vs 36.5 , .453 vs .462 , - ,

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 ...

, D. DeShields (16.2) , J. Lavender (6.9) , C. Vandersloot (9.1) , 84.6 vs 83.3 , 36.4 vs 35.4 , .448 vs .418 , - , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, A. Quigley (15.4) , Ch. Parker (6.4) , C. Vandersloot (10.0) , 86.7 vs 84.1 , 33.6 vs 32.2 , .491 vs .453 , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, K. Copper (14.4) , Ca. Parker (8.4) , C. Vandersloot (8.6) , 83.3 vs 81.9 , 35.0 vs 35.9 , .441 vs .433 , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, K. Copper (15.7) , Ca. Parker (8.6) , C. Vandersloot (6.5) , 86.3 vs 81.3 , 34.8 vs 33.2 , .481 vs .438

Media coverage

Currently, Sky games are broadcast locally in Chicago on WMEU-CD and WCIU-TV. Select Games are available on Marquee Sports Network
2022 Marquee TV Schedule
Select games are also broadcast in South Bend on WMYS-LD. Select games are broadcast nationally on ESPN or NBA TV. Broadcasters for the Sky games are

Lisa Byington Lisa Byington (born May 18, 1976) is a play-by-play announcer, studio host, and feature producer/reporter. She has broadcast games for Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports, Fox Sports 1, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS, Turner Sports, Pac-12 Networ ...

and

Stephen Bardo Stephen Dean Bardo (born April 5, 1968) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 3 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently a college basketball analyst. Basketball career During his standout c ...

. The Sky was on radio for two seasons on WVON-AM 1690 with Les Grobstein on play-by-play and Tajua Catchings (whose sister

Tamika Catchings Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Catchings has won a WNBA champio ...

is a star with the Indiana Fever) handling color. After 2008, WVON did not carry games any longer over a financial disagreement, and the Sky has not been on radio since. Their Home game only were carried on line during the 2008 season, but no Radio type play by play has been on since. All games (excluding blackout games, which are available on ESPN3.com) are broadcast to the WNBA LiveAccess game feeds on the league website. Furthermore, some Sky games are broadcast nationally on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The WNBA has reached an eight-year agreement with ESPN, which will pay right fees to the Sky, as well as other teams in the league.

All-time notes

Regular season attendance

*A sellout for a basketball game at UIC Pavilion (2006–2009) is 6,972. *A sellout for a basketball game at Allstate Arena (2010–2017) is 17,500. *A sellout for a basketball game at Wintrust Arena (2018–present) is 10,387.

Draft picks

*2006 Expansion Draft: Jia Perkins, Brooke Wyckoff, Elaine Powell, Kiesha Brown, Deanna Jackson, Laura Macchi, Stacey Lovelace, DeTrina White, Ashley Robinson, Chelsea Newton, Bernadette Ngoyisa, Francesca Zara, Stacey Dales *2006: Candice Dupree (6), Jennifer Harris (20), Kerri Gardin (34) *2007 Charlotte Dispersal Draft: Monique Currie (1) *2007: Armintie Price (3), Carla Thomas (10), Stephanie Raymond (20), Jessica Dickson (21), Jenna Rubino (27) *2008: Sylvia Fowles (2), Quianna Chaney (19), Angela Tisdale (33) *2009 Houston Dispersal Draft: Mistie Williams Bass (3) *2009: Kristi Toliver (3), Danielle Gant (16), Jennifer Risper (29) *2010 Sacramento Dispersal Draft: Courtney Paris (4) *2010: Epiphanny Prince (4), Abi Olajuwon (28) *2011: Courtney Vandersloot (3), Carolyn Swords (15), Angie Bjorklund (17), Amy Jaeschke (27) *2012: Shey Peddy (23), Sydney Carter (27) *2013: Elena Delle Donne (2), Brooklyn Pope (28) *2014: Markeisha Gatling (10), Gennifer Brandon (22), Jamierra Faulkner (34) *2015: Cheyenne Parker (5), Betnijah Laney (17), Aleighsa Welch (22) *2016: Imani Boyette (10), Jordan Jones (34) *2017: Alaina Coates (2), Tori Jankoska (9), Chantel Osahor (21), Makayla Epps (33) *2018: Diamond DeShields (3),

(4), Amarah Coleman (28) *2019: Katie Lou Samuelson (4), Chloe Jackson (15), María Conde (27) *2020: Ruthy Hebard (8), Japreece Dean (30), Kiah Gillespie (32) *2021: Shyla Heal (8), Natasha Mack (16) *2022: No Draft Picks

Trades

*June 29, 2006: The Sky traded Ashley Robinson to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Cisti Greenwalt and a second-round pick in the 2007 Draft. *March 23, 2007: The Sky traded Chelsea Newton and the 21st pick in the 2007 Draft to the Sacramento Monarchs for the 10th pick in the 2007 Draft. *May 24, 2007: The Sky traded Monique Currie to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Chasity Melvin. *August 12, 2009: The Sky traded Armintie Price to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Tamera Young. *March 30, 2010: The Sky traded Candice Dupree to the Phoenix Mercury and a second-round pick in the 2010 Draft to the New York Liberty in exchange for Shameka Christon and Cathrine Kraayeveld from New York. New York also received Cappie Pondexter and Kelly Mazzante from Phoenix. *May 13, 2010: The Sky traded Kristi Toliver to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 Draft. *April 20, 2011: The Sky traded Jia Perkins to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for Michelle Snow. *June 1, 2011: The Sky traded a second-round pick in the 2012 Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton. *January 2, 2012: The Sky traded the second pick in the 2012 Draft to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Swin Cash, Le'coe Willingham, and the 23rd pick in the 2012 Draft. *March 14, 2012: The Sky traded a third-round pick in the 2013 Draft to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for Sonja Petrovic. *May 7, 2014: The Sky traded Swin Cash to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Courtney Clements. *February 16, 2015: The Sky traded Epiphanny Prince to the New York Liberty in exchange for Cappie Pondexter. *July 27, 2015: The Sky traded Sylvia Fowles and a second-round pick in the 2016 Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Erika de Souza from Atlanta. Atlanta also received Damaris Dantas, Reshanda Gray, and a first-round pick in the 2016 Draft from Minnesota. *February 2, 2017: The Sky traded Elena Delle Donne to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Kahleah Copper, Stefanie Dolson, and the #2 overall pick in the 2017 Draft. *February 27, 2017: The Sky traded Clarissa Dos Santos to the San Antonio Stars in exchange for Astou Ndour. *May 20, 2019: The Sky traded their second round pick in the 2020 Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Jantel Lavender. *May 21, 2019: The Sky traded Alaina Coates to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota's third round pick in the 2020 Draft. *February 12, 2020: The Sky traded Astou Ndour to Dallas in exchange for Dallas' first round pick in the 2021 Draft. *February 12, 2020: The Sky traded Kaite Lou Samuelson and a first round pick in the 2021 Draft in exchange for Azurá Stevens. *February 9, 2021: The Sky traded their second round pick in the 2022 Draft for the 16th pick in the 2021 Draft (from Dallas). *May 9, 2021: The Sky traded Gabby Williams to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Stephanie Watts and the rights to Leonie Fiebich. *June 2, 2021: The Sky traded, Shyla Heal, their third round pick in the 2022 Draft, and the option to swap pick positions in the first round of the 2022 Draft to the Dallas Wings in exchange for Dana Evans. *February 3, 2022: The Sky traded Diamond DeShields to Phoenix in exchange for Julie Allemand and the Phoenix Mercury's 2023 first round pick. *March 20, 2022: They Sky traded Lexie Brown to Los Angeles in exchange for Li Yueru.

All-Stars

*2006: Candice Dupree *2007: Candice Dupree *2008: No All-Star Game *2009: Candice Dupree, Sylvia Fowles, Jia Perkins *2010: Sylvia Fowles *2011: Sylvia Fowles, Epiphanny Prince, Courtney Vandersloot *2012: No All-Star Game *2013: Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles, Epiphany Prince *2014: Jessica Breland, Elena Delle Donne *2015: Elena Delle Donne, Cappie Pondexter · *2016: No All-Star Game *2017: Stefanie Dolson, Allie Quigley *2018: Allie Quigley *2019: Diamond DeShields, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot *2020: No All-Star Game *2021: Kahleah Copper, Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot *2022: Kahleah Copper, Emma Meesseman, Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot

Olympians

*2008: Sylvia Fowles *2012: Swin Cash, Sylvia Fowles *2016: Elena Delle Donne, Erika de Souza ( BRA), Clarissa Dos Santos ( BRA) *2020: Astou Ndour ( ESP), Stefanie Dolson

Honors and awards

*2006 ''All-Rookie Team'': Candice Dupree *2007 ''All-Rookie Team'': Armintie Price *2008 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2008 ''All-Rookie Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2010 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2010 ''All-Defensive First Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2010 ''All-Rookie Team'': Epiphanny Prince *2010 ''Stars at the Sun Game MVP'': Sylvia Fowles *2011 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2011 ''Defensive Player of the Year'': Sylvia Fowles *2011 ''All-Defensive First Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2011 ''All-Rookie Team'': Courtney Vandersloot *2012 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2012 ''All-Defensive First Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2013 ''Rookie of the Year'': Elena Delle Donne *2013 ''Defensive Player of the Year'': Sylvia Fowles *2013 ''All-Rookie Team'': Elena Delle Donne *2013 ''All-Defensive First Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2013 ''Peak Performer (Rebounding)'': Sylvia Fowles *2014 ''WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year'': Allie Quigley *2014 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Sylvia Fowles *2015 ''WNBA MVP'': Elena Delle Donne *2015 ''WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year'': Allie Quigley *2015 ''Peak Performer (Scoring)'': Elena Delle Donne *2015 ''Peak Performer (Assists)'': Courtney Vandersloot *2015 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Elena Delle Donne *2015 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Courtney Vandersloot *2016 ''All-Rookie Team'': Imani Boyette *2017 ''Peak Performer (Assists)'': Courtney Vandersloot *2018 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Courtney Vandersloot *2018 ''All-Rookie Team'': Diamond DeShields *2018 ''Peak Performer (Assists)'': Courtney Vandersloot *2019 ''Peak Performer (Assists)'': Courtney Vandersloot *2019 ''Coach of the Year'': James Wade *2019 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Courtney Vandersloot *2019 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Diamond DeShields *2020 ''Peak Performer (Assists)'': Courtney Vandersloot *2020 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Courtney Vandersloot *2021 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Courtney Vandersloot *2021 ''Finals MVP'': Kahleah Copper *2022 ''Basketball Executive of the Year'': James Wade *2022 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Candace Parker *2022 ''All-Rookie Team'': Rebekah Gardner

Arenas

* UIC Pavilion (2006–2009) * Allstate Arena (2010–2017) * Wintrust Arena (2018–present)

Notes

References

Sources

* * * *
February 28, 2006 Chicago Sky press release announcing Michelle Williams on its ownership group

External links

WNBA Official Website

Chicago Sky Schedule
{{Illinois Sports 2005 establishments in Illinois Basketball teams in Illinois Basketball teams established in 2005 Women's National Basketball Association teams Sky Events in Chicago Events in Rosemont, Illinois