2021 Chicago Sky season
WNBA team season
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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.
| 2021 Chicago Sky season | |
|---|---|
WNBA champions | |
| Head coach | James Wade |
| Arena | Wintrust Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 16–16 (.500) |
| Place | 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | WNBA Champions (Defeated Phoenix Mercury 3–1 in WNBA Finals) |
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]
Transactions
WNBA draft
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 |
Trades and Roster Changes
| Date | Trade or Roster Change | |
|---|---|---|
| January 7, 2021 | Waived F Kiah Gillespie[3] | |
| January 9, 2021 | Full-Season suspend G María 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] | |
Roster
| 2021 Chicago Sky roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Game log
Preseason
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| # | 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
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Playoffs
| 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 | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 89 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
Statistics
| 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]
Regular season
| 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 |
Awards and honors
| 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] |