Chicago Sky

In 2006, the WNBA awarded an expansion team to Chicago, which came to be known as the Chicago Sky. The franchise plays in the Eastern Conference of the WNBA and has been home to players like Courtney Vandersloot, Sylvia Fowles, and Candice Dupree.

The franchise has been a consistent playoff team over the last five years, winning their maiden title in 2021. They have gotten stronger with the addition of Angel Reese from the 2024 WNBA Draft, who averages more than five offensive rebounds per game, helping them with second-chance points.

The Chicago Sky’s roster also includes three players from Notre Dame and two from Tennessee, fostering strong team chemistry on the court. The team is looking to make their sixth straight playoff appearance and has shown tremendous fighting spirit after a hard-fought win against the New York Liberty.

Chicago Sky History

After struggling in their initial years, Chicago Sky assembled the trio of Allie Quigley, Sylvia Fowles and Courtney Vandersloot who led them through multiple decades and also to their maiden title. The city of Chicago has been home to great players like Candice Dupree and Kristi Toliver who have gone on to win the WNBA championships and showcase their talent. Their 2013 second-overall pick, Elena Delle Donne is one of the handful of players in the WNBA to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP with the team they were drafted by. These players have laid the foundation of the franchise and now young talents like Angel Reese and Michaela Onyenwere will carry on the baton for the team.

Chicago Sky won the WNBA championship in 2021 after defeating Phoenix Mercury 3-1 in a best-of-five. After finishing as the sixth seed in the regular season, Sky defeated the Dallas Wings in round one by 81-64 in a single-match elimination. In the second round, the city of Chicago faced an uphill battle against the third seed Minnesota Lynx and emerged victorious by 89-76. Kahlelah Cooper recorded a double-double and Courtney Vandersloot with 19 points and six assists on 61.5% shooting from the field, helped cause an upset.

On their way to write a Cinderella story, Chicago faced the number one seed, Connecticut Sun. The first game went to double-OT and Chicago emerged victorious by 101-95 and went on to beat them 3-1 in best of five. They now faced Phoenix Mercury who also caused an upset by defeating the second-seed Las Vegas Aces in a close five-game series. After an OT thriller in game 2, the series was tied at 1-1 and in game 3, Sky annihilated the Mercury, winning by 86-50. They won game 4 after coming back from a 14-point deficit, closed out the series and won their maiden WNBA title and Kahleah Copper was awarded the Finals MVP.

Chicago Sky Owner

The Chicago Sky is owned by Michael J. Alter who is the principal owner and also a Chicago native. He is also the president of Alter Group, one of the country’s largest private commercial real estate developers who sees Chicago as the best sports town in the country. The Chicago native also has a law degree from the University of Chicago and embodies the spirit of the city.

Chicago Sky Jersey and Logo

The team adopted the logo in 2018 and comes with background colors of black, blue and yellow. The franchise debuted their new blue WNBA Nike Rebel edition, collaborating with Nike. The blue color justifies their name “SKY”. The newest Rebel Edition design by Nike was created with a mission to “Trace the Lineage,” honoring important moments, muses and movements in history and the impact they’ve made on the game.

Chicago Sky Home Stadium

Chicago Sky plays their home games at the Wintrust Arena which has a seating capacity of 10,387. The stadium is also home to the men's and women's basketball teams of DePaul University. Before moving to the Wintrust Arena in 2018, Sky played in the Allstate Arena from 2010-17. The stadium catered to multiple sports across different leagues like ice hockey, arena football, NCAA and WNBA basketball. In their initial formative years, Sky played in the UIC Pavilion (now known as Credit Union 1 Arena) from 2006-09.

Chicago Sky Tickets and Broadcasting Details

Chicago Sky's games are live broadcasted on multiple platforms for viewers from different locations. Local viewers can tune in to WCIU-TV, and WMEU-TV which will broadcast 17 regular season games and Marquee Sports Network will broadcast/stream 30 games. National coverage of selected games will be available on NBA TV, CBS Sports Network, Prime Video and ION. Users can also buy WNBA passes which start at $12.99 monthly or $34.99 annually for Chicago Sky’s games.

Chicago Sky has seen a rise in average home attendance from 7241 in 2023 to 8273 in 2024. The dynamic pricing of tickets fluctuates from game to game and can start from an estimated $20 to $30 and court-side tickets at $500 to $700.

Chicago Sky Coaching Staff

Former WNBA player and NCAA Division-1 champion, Teresa Weatherspoon is the current head coach of the Chicago Sky. She started coaching in 2007 with the Westchester Phantoms and after a year she started coaching Women's Division-1 basketball with the Louisiana Tech. After a five-year stint from 2009-14 as a head coach for Louisiana Tech, Weatherspoon took a six-year break from coaching. She returned in 2020 as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA from 2020-2023.

During her playing career, Weatherspoon was an NCAA Division I champion in 1988, a five-time WNBA All-Star (1999-2003) and a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She also played in the Italian League and was a six-time All-Star (1989-94) while also making the 15th and 20th WNBA Anniversary team.

Chicago Sky Famous Players

Courtney Vandersloot

The only player in franchise history to play more than 10,000 minutes, Courtney Vandersloot was drafted as the third overall pick by the Chicago Sky in the 2011 WNBA Draft. She spent 12 seasons in the city of Chicago, playing 359 matches and starting 328, averaging 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.3 steals. During her time with the Sky’s, Vandersloot was a four-time All-Star and a one-time WNBA Champion.

Also known as ‘The Floor General’, Vandersloot played a major role in helping Chicago win their maiden WNBA Championship. She lived up to her nickname and averaged 10.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 44.7% from the field.

Sylvia Fowles

The 6 foot 6 center, Sylvia Fowles was drafted as the second overall pick by the Chicago Sky in the 2008 WNBA Draft. She played here for seven seasons, playing in 186 matches and is only one of five players to have played more than 5000 minutes for the franchise. She was a menace on both the offensive and defensive end. In her career, she averaged 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists, shooting 61.0% from the field.

During her time with the Sky, Fowles was a three-time All-Star and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, making multiple All-WNBA first and second teams. Additionally, Fowles made All-Defensive teams in six of his seven seasons with the Chicago Sky.

Allie Quigley

The 5-foot 10 guard, Allie Quigley was drafted as the 22nd overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the 2008 WNBA Draft. She played her best basketball in the city of Chicago after getting traded in 2013, playing 10 seasons and featuring in 313 games for the franchise. She holds various franchise records, most three-points scored with 504 while the next best is 325, most FG made and leads the franchise in scoring with 3723 points.

The veteran guard made three-straight All-Stars appearances from 2017-19 and was also a two-time Sixth Woman of the Year back-to-back seasons with the Chicago franchise. At the time 35-year old, Quigley was part of the 2021 roster which went on to win the WNBA championship.

Chicago Sky Rivalries

Chicago Sky’s rivalry with Indiana Fever may have been in the headlines now but their rivalry goes back to the 2013 playoffs. The Fever outsmarted the Sky in the 2013 and 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals while the Sky trumped in the 2014 playoffs.

The rivalry has gained traction now with Angel Reese playing for the Sky’s and Caitlin Clark for the Indiana Fever. Both of these also compete for the 2024 WNBA playoff spot and with the current scenarios only one of them would make it.

Chicago Sky WNBA Records and Stats

The Sky have made the playoffs nine times since 2006 and have won one WNBA championship. They have had two patches of consistent playoff appearances, one is from 2013-2016 and the other is from 2019-2023 which resulted in their only WNBA championship. Their first playoff appearance came in 2013 and their latest playoff appearance came in 2023.