Rachel Banham Proves Sky Must Re-Sign Her
The Chicago Sky welcomed a guard from an Eastern Conference team last week. They signed former New York Liberty player Marquesha Davis to join the team.
Last season, the Sky made a trade with a different Eastern Conference foe, the Connecticut Sun. In the transaction, Chicago sent Marina Mabrey to the Sun in exchange for Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson.
Jefferson has not been much of a factor for her new team. However, on Sunday, Banham showed that her skills and services make the Sky a better team.
RACHEL ➡️ KIA @StateFarm | Assist of the Game pic.twitter.com/oZEVJUYj8y
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) July 27, 2025
The soon-to-be free agent deserves a new deal to remain in Chicago.
The Sky are set to only have four players under contract next season. Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld have deals good past this season.
Furthermore, all four of those players have a combined six seasons of service in the league, counting the 2025 WNBA season. Banham, 32, gives the Sky some experience and wisdom, as well a veteran presence missing with Courtney Vandersloot out for the rest of this year.
The former first round pick from the 2016 WNBA Draft was Chicago's leading scorer on Sunday. Her 26 points and five assists helped keep the Sky competitive for most of the game.
Between May and June, Banham scored more than 10 points just four times. Three of those did come in the last four games of June.
This month, the former University of Minnesota player has scored at least ten points seven times out of a possible nine games. She's even scored 20 points or more twice in July, too.
With the absences of Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins, the Chicago Sky offense has taken a hit in many of the team's 18 losses. In four seasons with the Minnesota Lynx and two stints in Connecticut, Banham has averaged more than six points twice. She did it a third time last year during her nine games with the Sky.
This season, Banham is averaging a career-high 8.3 points a game entering Tuesday's game against the Washington Mystics. She's also been on the court more this year (22.0 mins. per game) more than any other one.
While she may not be a scoring threat like Kelsey Mitchell or Caitlin Clark, the nine-year veteran is having her best season in the tenth year of her career. That's something the Chicago Sky's front office should consider rewarding Banham for.
My name is Scott Conrad and I am a Contributor for the Chicago Sky with Sports Illustrated.com. I am also a Contributor with FanSided on NinerNoise, as well as Da Windy City. In addition, I am the Site Editor/Expert for The View from Avalon. I spent two seasons (2015 & 2016) with the Tampa Bay Times as a Correspondent covering high school football. I am a two-time published author with more work to come. In my teenage years, I started watching both MLS and WNBA start in 1996 and grow to be the juggernauts they are in their respective sports. Much love to the career on and off the court for fellow-Napervillian and former Sky forward Candace Parker. Outside of the sports journalism world, I am a travel volleyball coach. I accepted the Head Coach position with Greater Cincinnati Volleyball Club for their U13-2 team. In terms of active sports, I play volleyball, soccer, softball, kickball and train in mixed martial arts.