2021 Chicago Sky season
2021 Chicago Sky season | |
---|---|
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). This was their third season under head coach James Wade. 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, the Sky proceeded to go 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. Upon returning from the Olympic break, the Sky won their first game, but lost the next two. They then won three straight games, including a road back-to-back in Seattle. However, a fourth road game proved to be too much as they lost the final game in August to finish with a 4–3 record in the month. The Sky began September with a fifth straight road game, which they lost. They closed out the season with a four game home-stand that they split 2–2, finishing the season 16–16.
The team entered the playoffs as the sixth seed. They played the Dallas Wings in the First Round at home, and won in dominating fashion 81–64. As the lowest seed to advance to the Second Round, they faced the Minnesota Lynx on the road, and won the game 89–76 to advance to the Semifinals. Facing the first-seeded Connecticut Sun, they won the first game in a double overtime thriller but lost the second game on the road. The series returned home to Chicago, where the Sky won both games to win the series 3–1. The Sky became only the third team to reach the WNBA Finals with a .500 or worse regular season record. They also reached the Finals for the first time since 2014 and they were the lowest seed to reach the finals since the WNBA changed playoff formats in 2016. In the finals, the Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury to win their first WNBA championship. The Sky won games one, three, and four. They only dropped game two, in overtime.[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 [3] | |
January 9, 2021 | Full-Season suspend G Maria Conde[4] | |
January 13, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offer to F Alexis Prince[5] | |
February 1, 2021 | Signed F Candace Parker[6] | |
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.[7] | |
Signed G Brittany Boyd-Jones to a training camp contract[8] | ||
February 17, 2021 | Signed F Azurá Stevens to a Contract Extension[9] | |
March 7, 2021 | Waived F Stephanie Mavunga[10] | |
March 8, 2021 | Signed F Astou Ndour[11] | |
April 13, 2021 | Signed F Alexis Prince and G to Training Camp Contracts[12] | |
April 17, 2021 | Signed G Shyla Heal, G , F Natasha Mack, F , and G [13] | |
April 20, 2021 | Signed G Lexie Brown[14] | |
May 6, 2021 | Full-Seasons Suspended F Gabby Williams[15] | |
May 7, 2021 | Waived G [16] | |
May 9, 2021 | Traded Gabby Williams to Los Angeles in exchange for Stephanie Watts and the rights to Leonie Fiebich[17] | |
May 10, 2021 | Waived G , G , and F [18] | |
May 13, 2021 | Waived G Brittany Boyd-Jones, G Lexie Brown, F Alexis Prince and F Natasha Mack, and F [19] | |
Temporarily Suspend G Shyla Heal[20] | ||
May 15, 2021 | Signed G Brittany Boyd-Jones to Hardship Contract[21] | |
May 17, 2021 | Temporarily Suspend C Stefanie Dolson[22] | |
May 18, 2021 | Signed F Natasha Mack to Hardship Contract[23] | |
May 20, 2021 | Released G Brittany Boyd from Hardship Contract[24] | |
May 21, 2021 | Activated G Shyla Heal from Temporarily Suspension List[25] | |
May 22, 2021 | Released F Natasha Mack from Hardship Contract[26] | |
May 23, 2021 | Signed F Natasha Mack to Hardship Contract[27] | |
May 30, 2021 | Released F Natasha Mack from Hardship Contract[28] | |
June 1, 2021 | Signed G Lexie Brown to Hardship Contract[29] | |
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[30] | |
Waived G Stephanie Watts | ||
Activate C Stefanie Dolson from Temporary Suspension List[31] | ||
Released G Lexie Brown from Hardship Contract | ||
June 7, 2021 | Signed F [32] | |
June 8, 2021 | Waived F [33] | |
Temporarily Suspend F Astou Ndour due to Overseas Commitments | ||
June 9, 2021 | Signed F Natasha Mack[34] | |
June 10, 2021 | Waived F Natasha Mack[35] | |
June 14, 2021 | Signed G Lexie Brown[36] | |
June 30, 2021 | Activate F Astou Ndour from Temporary Suspension[37] |
Roster[]
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: Single elimination (Sept. 23) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 26) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 28 – Oct. 8) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Oct. 10 – Oct. 17) | |||||||||||
2 Las Vegas Aces | 2 | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 3 | |||||||||||||
4 Seattle Storm | 80 | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 85OT | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 83 | |||||||||||||
8 New York Liberty | 82 | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 1 | |||||||||||||
6 Chicago Sky | 3 | |||||||||||||
6 Chicago Sky | 81 | |||||||||||||
7 Dallas Wings | 64 | |||||||||||||
3 Minnesota Lynx | 76 | |||||||||||||
6 Chicago Sky | 89 | |||||||||||||
1 Connecticut Sun | 1 | |||||||||||||
6 Chicago Sky | 3 | |||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
- Semifinals
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 Connecticut Sun |
95 | 79 | 83 | 69 |
6 Chicago Sky |
101 2OT | 68 | 86 | 79 |
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 Las Vegas Aces |
96 | 91 | 60 | 93 | 84 |
5 Phoenix Mercury |
90 | 117 | 87 | 76 | 87 |
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 Phoenix Mercury |
77 | 91 OT | 50 | 74 |
6 Chicago Sky |
91 | 86 | 86 | 80 |
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:[38]
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 | [39] |
Kahleah Copper | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 | [40] |
Courtney Vandersloot | |||
Candace Parker | |||
James Wade | Coach of the Month – June | July 1 | [41] |
Courtney Vandersloot | Peak Performer: Assists | September 20 | [42] |
Dana Evans | WNBA All-Rookie Team | October 5 | [43] |
Courtney Vandersloot | All-WNBA Second Team | October 15 | [44] |
Kahleah Copper | WNBA Finals MVP | October 17 | [45] |
References[]
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (October 17, 2021). "2021 WNBA Finals - Candace Parker's legacy comes full circle as she leads Chicago Sky to first WNBA championship". ESPN.com.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (October 17, 2021). "Chicago rallies past Phoenix to win first WNBA crown; Sky's Kahleah Copper named MVP". ESPN.com.
- ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. January 7, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. January 7, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. January 7, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Make Historic Signing to Bring 2x WNBA MVP Candace Parker Home". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Sky Acquire 2021 Second-Round Draft Pick". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 9, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. February 9, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Sky Signs Azurá Stevens to Contract Extension". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 17, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. March 7, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Astou Ndour returns to Sky on 1-year deal". chicago.suntimes.com. Sun Times. March 8, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Sky Sign Alexis Prince & Jessica January to Training Camp Contracts". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. April 13, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. April 17, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. April 20, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Sky's Gabby Williams Placed on Full-Season Suspended List While Playing Overseas". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. May 6, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Waive Petra Holešínská". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. May 7, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "After suspending Gabby Williams for the season, Sky trade her to Sparks for Stephanie Watts". CBS Sports. May 9, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Waive Jessica January, Sparkle Taylor and Sierra Campisano". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Waive Brittany Boyd-Jones, Alexis Prince, Lexie Brown, Kobi Thornton and Natasha Mack". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Brittany Boyd-Jones". oursportscewntral.com. Our Sports Central. May 15, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 17, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 18, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 20, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 22, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 23, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Sky Re-Sign Lexie Brown". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Acquire Dana Evans From Dallas". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "Sky Bring Back Lexie Brown for Remainder of 2021 WNBA Season". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions - Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ "Stats - Chicago Sky". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ "Courtney Vandersloot, Breanna Stewart Named Week 5 Players Of Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ "Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 on July 14". wnba.com. WNBA. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "James Wade Named Coach Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "2021 WNBA Peak Performers: Tina Charles, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot". wnba.com. WNBA. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "Sky Guard Dana Evans Named to 2021 WNBA All-Rookie Team". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "The 2021 All-WNBA First & Second Team Announced". wnba.com. WNBA. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ "Kahleah Copper Wins WNBA Finals MVP!". wnba.com. WNBA. October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
External links[]
- 2021 WNBA season
- Chicago Sky seasons
- 2021 in sports in Illinois
- Women's National Basketball Association championship seasons