2021 Chicago Sky season | |
---|---|
WNBA champions | |
Coach | James Wade |
Arena | Wintrust Arena |
Attendance | 3,187 per game |
Results | |
Record | 16–16 (.500) |
Place | 2nd (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | WNBA Champions (Defeated Phoenix Mercury 3–1 in WNBA Finals) |
Team Leaders | |
Points | Kahleah Copper – 14.4 ppg |
Rebounds | Candace Parker – 8.4 rpg |
Assists | Courtney Vandersloot – 8.6 apg |
The 2021 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 16th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and its third season under head coach James Wade. In the postseason, the Sky won their first WNBA championship.
The offseason was marked by two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker joining the team. The Sky started the season with two wins but followed with a seven-game losing streak through mid-June. However, they went on a seven-game winning streak that included back-to-back wins over eventual top seed Connecticut. They entered the mid-season Olympic break with a 10–10 record. After the break, they recorded a 4–3 record in August, including back-to-back road wins in Seattle. In September, they began with a road loss and closed out the season with a four game home-stand that they split 2–2, finishing the season 16–16.
The Sky entered the playoffs as the sixth seed. They hosted the Dallas Wings in the First Round, and won in dominating fashion, 81–64. They faced the Minnesota Lynx on the road in the Second Round, winning the game 89–76. Facing the first-seeded Connecticut Sun in a best-of-three semifinals series, they won the Game 1 in double overtime but lost Game 2 on the road. The series returned home to Chicago, where the Sky won both games to win the series 3–1.
The Sky reached the Finals for the first time since 2014. They were only the third team to reach the finals with a record of .500 or below, and the lowest seed to do so since the new playoff format was introduced in 2016. In the WNBA Finals, the Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury in four games to win their first WNBA championship. Their only loss came in overtime in Game 2. [1] [2]
The Sky made the following selections in the 2021 WNBA draft on December 4, 2020.
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Shyla Heal | Australia | Townsville Fire (Australia) |
2 | 16 | Natasha Mack | United States | Oklahoma State |
Date | Trade or Roster Change | |
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January 7, 2021 | Waived F Kiah Gillespie [3] | |
January 9, 2021 | Full-Season suspend G Maria Conde [3] | |
January 13, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offer to F Alexis Prince [3] | |
February 1, 2021 | Signed F Candace Parker [4] | |
February 9, 2021 | Acquired the 16th Pick in the 2021 WNBA draft from Dallas in exchange for Chicago's Second Round Pick in the 2022 WNBA draft. [5] | |
Signed G Brittany Boyd-Jones to a training camp contract [6] | ||
February 17, 2021 | Signed F Azurá Stevens to a Contract Extension [7] | |
March 7, 2021 | Waived F Stephanie Mavunga [8] | |
March 8, 2021 | Signed F Astou Ndour [9] | |
April 13, 2021 | Signed F Alexis Prince and G Jessica January to Training Camp Contracts [10] | |
April 17, 2021 | Signed G Shyla Heal, G Petra Holešínská, F Natasha Mack, F Sierra Campisano, and G Sparkle Taylor [11] | |
April 20, 2021 | Signed G Lexie Brown [12] | |
May 6, 2021 | Full-Seasons Suspended F Gabby Williams [13] | |
May 7, 2021 | Waived G Petra Holešínská [14] | |
May 9, 2021 | Traded Gabby Williams to Los Angeles in exchange for Stephanie Watts and the rights to Leonie Fiebich [15] | |
May 10, 2021 | Waived G Jessica January, G Sparkle Taylor, and F Sierra Campisano [16] | |
May 13, 2021 | Waived G Brittany Boyd-Jones, G Lexie Brown, F Alexis Prince and F Natasha Mack, and F Kobi Thornton [17] | |
Temporarily Suspend G Shyla Heal [18] | ||
May 15, 2021 | Signed G Brittany Boyd-Jones to Hardship Contract [19] | |
May 17, 2021 | Temporarily Suspend C Stefanie Dolson [20] | |
May 18, 2021 | Signed F Natasha Mack to Hardship Contract [21] | |
May 20, 2021 | Released G Brittany Boyd from Hardship Contract [22] | |
May 21, 2021 | Activated G Shyla Heal from Temporarily Suspension List [23] | |
May 22, 2021 | Released F Natasha Mack from Hardship Contract [24] | |
May 23, 2021 | Signed F Natasha Mack to Hardship Contract [25] | |
May 30, 2021 | Released F Natasha Mack from Hardship Contract [26] | |
June 1, 2021 | Signed G Lexie Brown to Hardship Contract [27] | |
June 2, 2021 | Traded G Shyla Heal, a 2022 3rd Round Pick, and the option to swap 1st Round Picks in 2022 to the Dallas Wings in exchange for G Dana Evans [28] | |
Waived G Stephanie Watts | ||
Activate C Stefanie Dolson from Temporary Suspension List [29] | ||
Released G Lexie Brown from Hardship Contract | ||
June 7, 2021 | Signed F Sierra Campisano [30] | |
June 8, 2021 | Waived F Sierra Campisano [31] | |
Temporarily Suspend F Astou Ndour due to Overseas Commitments | ||
June 9, 2021 | Signed F Natasha Mack [32] | |
June 10, 2021 | Waived F Natasha Mack [33] | |
June 14, 2021 | Signed G Lexie Brown [34] | |
June 30, 2021 | Activate F Astou Ndour from Temporary Suspension [35] |
2021 Chicago Sky roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2021 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
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2021 pre-season schedule |
2021 playoff game log Total: 8–2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round
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Second Round
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Semifinals
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Finals
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2021 playoff schedule |
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | x – Connecticut Sun | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 12–3 | 15–1 | 11–5 | 9–1 |
2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 24 | 8 | .750 | 2 | 11–4 | 13–3 | 11–5 | 6–4 |
3 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 22 | 10 | .688 | 4 | 10–5 | 13–3 | 9–7 | 7–3 |
4 | x – Seattle Storm | 21 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 9–6 | 11–5 | 10–6 | 8–2 |
5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 13 | .594 | 7 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 12–4 | 5–5 |
6 | x – Chicago Sky | 16 | 16 | .500 | 10 | 10–5 | 6–10 | 10–6 | 6–4 |
7 | x – Dallas Wings | 14 | 18 | .438 | 12 | 7–8 | 7–9 | 7–9 | 3–7 |
8 | x – New York Liberty | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 5–5 |
9 | e – Washington Mystics | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 7–8 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
10 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 2–13 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 1–9 |
11 | e – Atlanta Dream | 8 | 24 | .250 | 18 | 6–9 | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
12 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 26 | .188 | 20 | 4–11 | 4–12 | 2–14 | 2–8 |
Notes
First round Sept. 23 | Second round Sept. 26 | Semifinals Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | WNBA Finals Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Las Vegas Aces | 96 | 91 | 60 | 93 | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Seattle Storm | 80 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 90 | 117 | 87 | 76 | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Phoenix Mercury | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85OT | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 77 | 91OT | 50 | 74 | – | ||||||||||||||
8 | New York Liberty | 82 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 91 | 86 | 86 | 80 | – | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Connecticut Sun | 95 | 79 | 83 | 69 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 1012OT | 68 | 86 | 79 | – | Third place | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 89 | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Dallas Wings | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
Legend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader |
Source: [36]
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kahleah Copper | 32 | 32 | 30.8 | 45.9 | 30.6 | 81.8 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 14.4 |
Candace Parker | 23 | 23 | 26.7 | 45.8 | 32.9 | 79.4 | 8.4 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 13.3 |
Allie Quigley | 26 | 11 | 24.4 | 44.8 | 45.4 | 95.9 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 13.2 |
Diamond DeShields | 32 | 22 | 26.9 | 39.3 | 30.0 | 82.0 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 11.3 |
Courtney Vandersloot | 32 | 32 | 30.5 | 43.3 | 34.6 | 85.7 | 3.4 | 8.6 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 10.5 |
Stefanie Dolson | 24 | 15 | 20.0 | 48.6 | 40.4 | 94.7 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 7.5 |
Azurá Stevens | 30 | 11 | 19.6 | 50.0 | 33.3 | 81.3 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 7.4 |
Astou Ndour-Fall | 20 | 8 | 17.1 | 39.7 | 23.5 | 94.1 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 6.6 |
Ruthy Hebard | 30 | 6 | 16.8 | 52.9 | 0.0 | 79.4 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 5.8 |
Dana Evans | 23 | 0 | 8.6 | 35.6 | 40.5 | 87.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 3.9 |
Lexie Brown | 17 | 0 | 9.5 | 26.3 | 24.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Courtney Vandersloot | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | June 21 | [37] |
Kahleah Copper | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 | [38] |
Courtney Vandersloot | |||
Candace Parker | |||
James Wade | Coach of the Month – June | July 1 | [39] |
Courtney Vandersloot | Peak Performer: Assists | September 20 | [40] |
Dana Evans | WNBA All-Rookie Team | October 5 | [41] |
Courtney Vandersloot | All-WNBA Second Team | October 15 | [42] |
Kahleah Copper | WNBA Finals MVP | October 17 | [43] |
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
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 of the 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. They experienced a second period of success from 2019 to 2022 and won their first championship in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
Kahleah Copper is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the seventh overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2016, and was traded to the Chicago Sky the next year.
The 2018 Chicago Sky season is the franchise's 13th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season tipped off on May 6, and concludes on August 19.
The 2020 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 15th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). This was the second season under head coach James Wade. The Sky did not improve on their previous season's record of 20–14, but entered the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The 2021 Dallas Wings season was the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the 6th season for the franchise in Dallas. This was the first season under new head coach Vickie Johnson, after she was hired on December 9, 2020.
The 2021 WNBA season was the 23rd season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was also the 19th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season began on May 14, 2021, at the Atlanta Dream.
The 2021 New York Liberty season was the 25th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA. The Liberty opened the regular season on May 14, 2021 versus the Indiana Fever.
The 2021 WNBA season was the 24th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 14, 2021, at the Minnesota Lynx.
The 2021 Washington Mystics season was the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season tipped off versus the Chicago Sky on May 15, 2021.
The 2021 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2021 season. The Chicago Sky won their first WNBA championship.
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 fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury facing off against the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky, a rematch of the 2014 Finals. The Sky defeated the Mercury in 4 games, winning their first WNBA Championship, as well as Chicago's first professional basketball championship since 1998.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 15th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The team began the season on May 14, 2022, on the road against the Dallas Wings.
The 2022 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 17th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their fourth season under head coach James Wade. They were the defending league champions after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
The 2022 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 5th year the franchise is based in Las Vegas after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. The regular season began on May 6, 2022, at the Phoenix Mercury.
The 2022 New York Liberty season was the 26th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA. The Liberty opened the regular season on May 7, 2022, versus the Connecticut Sun.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season began on May 6, 2022, against the Las Vegas Aces and ended in the 1st round of the WNBA Playoffs against the same team. The season was marred by a number of issues, including injuries and the absence of Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia on drug charges.
The 2022 Washington Mystics season is the franchise's 25th season in the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season will tip off versus the Indiana Fever on May 6, 2022.
The 2022 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2022 season. This postseason ended with the Las Vegas Aces winning their first championship.
The 2023 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their fifth season under head coach James Wade. In the offseason, the team saw the departures of several key players in free agency including Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Azurá Stevens.