Why Sky Can Be Thankful This Thanksgiving
Since the 2023 season, the Chicago Sky haven't looked the part of a former champion. However, it was just four seasons ago that the franchise took down the Phoenix Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
The Mercury fell to another eventual champion, the Las Vegas Aces, this postseason. Sky head coach Tyler Marsh is quite familiar with the Aces. He served as an assistant with the team for multiple seasons before coming to the Windy City.
He took over for Teresa Weatherspoon, the first head coach hired by general manager Jeff Pagliocca. After just 23 combined wins in two seasons, the Sky have more questions than answers.
Just like several other WNBA teams, Chicago has multiple free agents and few signed for the upcoming seasons. Nonetheless, the Sky have these three reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving.
1. Only two other teams have shorter WNBA title droughts than Chicago.
Cornerstone players and Sky legends Candace Parker, Allie Quigley, and Kahleah Copper are long gone. Chicago's all-time leading scorer, Courtney Vandersloot, had left the team shortly after the 2021 WNBA championship season. However, she returned last year after spending two seasons with the New York Liberty.
Since 2021, the Las Vegas Aces won back-to-back titles and another most recently in 2025. The New York Liberty finally hoisted their first WNBA title despite being one of the few remaining original franchises in the league.
Thus, only two other WNBA teams have been declared champions since the Chicago Sky. Teams like the Connecticut Sun have never won a title in the league. Neither have the Atlanta Dream, nor the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings.
2. The Sky have the league's best rebounder in the league.
Arguably, of course. Statistically, not at all. Two-time WNBA All-Star forward Angel Reese has been a double-double machine since arriving in Chicago.
During her rookie season, Reese averaged a WNBA-best 13.1 rebounds per game. Despite seeing a slight dip in her second year in the league, she still led the league with 12.6 boards per game in 2025.
Angel Reese has 405 rebounds this year, a new WNBA single-season record
— WNBA Universe (@wnbauniverse) September 1, 2024
Congratulations!#WNBA pic.twitter.com/JAabsQ3erF
Rebounding was an issue for the Sky during the 2023 WNBA season. They were in the bottom half of the league. Since drafting Reese, in addition to center Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago is among the WNBA's best rebounding teams.
Had the Sky not made a trade with the Minnesota Lynx during the 2024 WNBA Draft, Reese would not be on the roster for Chicago. Instead, it would be Alissa Pili, who averages just 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game since joining the league with Reese.
NO. 5 PICK IN THE 2026 WNBA DRAFT 🏀
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) November 23, 2025
drop your predictions 🪄 pic.twitter.com/P4vNBo6UJl
3. The Sky have some decent draft stock for the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Chicago had to send Minnesota their pick in the first round of next year's draft. Yet, the Sky received the Sun's pick. That gives the 2021 WNBA champions the fifth overall selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Furthermore, they get to pick ahead of the two newest teams in the league: the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire. Chicago also has three other picks in the upcoming WNBA Draft.
The Sky have second picks of the second round (16th overall) and the third round (31st overall), in addition to another selection in the second round (26th overall). Chicago receives that pick from New York.
While Pagliocca and Marsh await to see who joins Reese and Cardoso, as well as Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld, the Sky are having a much better decade than most of the other WNBA teams. That's plenty reason to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
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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.