Chicago Sky Enter WNBA, Draft Mercury Center

The Chicago Sky entered the league in 2006, and they drafted players from teams such as the Phoenix Mercury.

Fans cheer on the Phoenix Mercury as they play the Minnesota Lynx in their WNBA semifinal playoff game at PHX Arena on Sept. 28, 2025. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury were a part of the WNBA in its first season, and as time passed, the league began to add more teams. The first expansion draft was in 1998, as the Detroit Shock and the Washington Mystics joined the league.

The Mercury lost a player that year, as Tara Williams was drafted by the Shock. After that draft, the league continued to grow, and teams like the Minnesota Lynx, the Seattle Storm and others were added to the league. In some cases, teams that were added to the league folded, and that led to dispersal drafts.

Fans walk into the Mortgage Matchup Center for WNBA Finals Game 3 between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the 2000 season, it was a few years before the WNBA added a new team. The Chicago Sky came into the league in 2006, and like the teams before them, they had a chance to build their roster.

Sky draft future champion

Chicago added 13 players, and the franchise selected Jia Perkins with the first pick. She played for the Charlotte Sting, which ended up folding after the 2006 season. Then, the Sky continued to add players, and with the ninth pick of their expansion draft, they selected Ashley Robinson.

Robinson was playing for the Mercury, and she was drafted by them back in 2004. That was the same year Phoenix drafted Diana Taurasi. Robinson played 19 games with the Mercury in her first season, and she came off the bench in all of them. Then, she played 34 games in 2005, and she started in 15 of them. She averaged 3.5 rebounds during that time, and she also averaged three points.

Sep 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; A detailed view as the Phoenix Mercury huddle at mid-court after a loss in overtime to the New York Liberty during game one of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs round one at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The Mercury draft pick played 12 games with the Sky, and she started in five of them. Robinson was later traded to the Storm, and she spent extensive time with them. She also won a championship with them in 2010, as they beat the Atlanta Dream.

Robinson did not spend much time with Chicago, and in the first season, the Sky finished with a record of 5-29. It took some time for them to develop, and eventually they became a playoff team. Today, they are going through another rebuild, and they are trying to reach the postseason.

Sevgi Uzun (0) of the Chicago Sky guards Monique Akoa Makani (8) of the Phoenix Mercury during a game at PHX Arena on Aug. 28, 2025, in Phoenix. / Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The WNBA is in a good place, and with more teams joining the league, it will be interesting to see how teams like the Mercury will be impacted.

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