Is Chicago Sky’s loan rejection the real reason behind their delayed practice facility? Examining viral rumors

Boston Celtics v Orlando Magic - Source: Getty

Back in July 2024, the Chicago Sky announced that they would be constructing a new practice facility in the Bedford Park area. The state-of-the-art facility, which is expected to make the Sky more competitive in the widely anticipated 2026 free agency market, had a target completion by December 2025.

Recently, rumors have been swirling online about the completion of the Sky's practice facility being delayed. These rumors are pointing to a particular financial challenge that's getting in the way of the facility's completion:

Right around the time that this online user posted on Reddit, netizens were discussing the same rumors on X.

In a Tweet that now appears to have been deleted, online user Jaguar Jackson reiterated this rumor:

It didn't take long for images reportedly showing the minutes of the meeting held by the Board of Trustees of Bedford Park. If the minutes of the meeting are to be believed, the Sky organization did have trouble securing a loan, hence the request for the Village of Bedford Park to "front the money...interest free."

An eagle-eyed netizen went on to call attention to the fact that the village indeed approved the Sky organization's request, meaning that the village has provided some much-needed financial aid for the construction of the practice facility.

Again, with the assumption that the documents showing up online are legitimate, the Sky appear to be on track to complete the construction of their practice facility right around 2026. It's possible, then, that this facility will help make Chicago a more enticing destination for free agents a year from now.

Chicago Sky announces major acquisition ahead of 2025 WNBA Draft

While the much-anticipated free agency class and the completion of the practice facility are a year away, the Sky is making moves to get a leg up in the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday.

A day before the Draft, the Sky announced that it would be acquiring the no. 11 pick from the Minnesota Lynx, which comes right after their own no. 10 selection. In exchange, the Sky agreed to extinguish a previously agreed-upon pick swap with the Lynx for the 2026 WNBA Draft.

As such, the Lynx will be holding the Sky's 2026 first-round pick without having to do a pick swap. Meanwhile, Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca touted the two consecutive 2025 first-round picks as a move that improves the team's "flexibility" as they consider the "deep" pool this year.

About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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