The Chicago Sky will headline the WNBA's first-ever "Rivals Week," the WNBA announced in a Saturday tweet.
The event will run from Aug. 9-17 and will feature rivalry matchups from across the league. The Sky will play in two games in the newly-formed event, including when they kick things off with a bout against the Indiana Fever on Aug. 9. Chicago will take on the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's newest member, on Aug. 15. The Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty will square off twice on Aug. 10 and 16 in two of the biggest matchups of the week.
The NBA has been running a Rivals Week of its own since 2022, where some of the league's most historic and anticipated matchups face off in January. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, two of its winningest franchises with a combined 35 NBA championships, played in a late-night game that saw a Chicago native in Anthony Davis drop 24 points against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Sky's biggest budding rivalry continues to take shape
Sky fans will have plenty to look forward to when Chicago takes part in one of its most exciting growing rivalries in recent memory.
The nationally-televised game will be one of five matchups between the Sky and the Fever this season. Chicago will take on Indiana in a Commissioner's Cup game for the eighth time in five years, further adding to a mid-season battle that dates back to the Sky's incredible path to the WNBA championship in 2021. The popularity of the Midwestern matchup last season peaked on the Sky's home court in June, where the Sky defeated the Fever in the most-viewed WNBA game in 23 years.
Both sides will have plenty of chances to showcase their revamped rosters with new head coaches as they continue to face each other this season.
The Sky added Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot to pair with two All-Rookie selections in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Indiana added DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard to start alongside Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. The newly-added star power will make them two teams to watch out for in a changing Eastern Conference that could see a new rebuilding squad and a potential playoff contender in the Atlanta Dream.
The Sky will tip off against the Fever at 8 p.m. EDT on Aug. 9 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on CBS.