The Chicago Sky joined the WNBA as an expansion franchise in 2006. It was the WNBA’s tenth season, and the organization is unique because it is not affiliated with the NBA team in its city. The Sky missed the playoffs in their first seven seasons, but have had plenty of success since, including winning the championship in 2021.
Rookie Angel Reese hopes to become one of the Sky’s best players. The 6’3 forward is already an elite rebounder and could be one of the league’s top talents in her prime. Reese is looking to be legendary.
The Sky have six All-Stars who did not make this list. It was a tough task and the selections were based on their time in Chicago only. Playoff success factored in as did personal accolades. Here is a look at who Angel Reese is chasing to be among the Sky’s best.
10. Stefanie Dolson
The 6’5 center started her career with Mystics. She was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft and was an All-Star by her second season. Dolson took a slight step back in year three before Washington traded her with Kahleah Copper and a first-round draft pick to the Sky for Elena Delle Donne.
Dolson spent the next five years in Chicago. She was an All-Star in year one and had arguably the best season of her WNBA career by averaging 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game. Dolson was coming off the bench by her final season, but she still played a key role in their 2021 championship.
Stefanie Dolson left after the season to join the New York Liberty. In her five seasons in Chicago, she won a championship, was an All-Star, and made a dent in the history books. The 6’5 center is top ten in Sky history in rebounds, assists, and blocks while sitting 11th in points. She is unquestionably one of the best to ever wear their uniform.
9. Jia Perkins
Perkins started her WNBA career with the Charlotte Sting before being the Sky’s first overall pick in the 2006 expansion draft. The 5’8 guard got more playing time and blossomed with her new team. Perkins scored the seventh-most points in the league in 2008 and quickly became a force.
She averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in 27.6 minutes per game over her five seasons in Chicago. It included an All-Star appearance and finishing second for the Most Improved Player award in 2008. Perkins is seventh in team history in games played and was a productive role player throughout her tenure.
The Sky were still getting their footing in the WNBA when Perkins was traded to San Antonio in 2011. She played seven more years in the league and filled a role on multiple contending rosters before finally getting her ring with the Lynx in 2017.
Jia Perkins is all over the Sky’s record book. She is second in steals, fifth in assists, eighth in points, and 11th in rebounds in franchise history. The 5’8 guard played a key role for the first wave of the Sky and produced the sixth-most win shares for Chicago. The franchise may not have had the success it wanted, but Perkins deserves a place on this list for her contributions.
8. Candace Parker
Parker is one of the best WNBA players of all time. The 6’4 forward won two MVP honors, one Defensive Player of the Year award, and one championship during her 13 seasons with the LA Sparks. She made five All-Star appearances and cemented herself as a Hall of Famer.
Parker became a free agent in 2021 and chose to play for the Sky. She was already 34 years old, but fresh off finishing third in MVP voting. Ace remained elite but wanted a new challenge.
Parker spent just two years in Chicago, but she immediately helped them win their first championship. The Sky were in the WNBA semifinals in year two as the 6’4 forward was a two-time All-Star. She averaged 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks and made the Sky contenders. It just speaks to her greatness.
Parker left to join the Las Vegas Aces in 2023 for her final WNBA season. She picked up her third ring in Sin City, which was a fitting way to end her incredible career.
Candace Parker is top 20 in field goals, 3-pointers made, rebounds, assists, blocks, and points in franchise history, despite playing just two years with the Sky. There is zero questioning her greatness. Some may doubt having Parker this high, but there is an argument to place her even higher.
7. Epiphanny Prince
The 5’9 guard was drafted fourth overall by the Sky in 2010. She was most known for scoring 113 points in a high school game and leaving Rutgers after three years to play professionally in Europe. There was no questioning her talent, and the Sky were still searching for their first playoff appearance.
Prince finished third in Sixth Woman of the Year as a rookie and was a starter for the next four in Chicago. She made two All-Star appearances and helped the franchise get on the right track. Prince was their third-leading scorer in 2013 when the Sky finally made the playoffs. The 5’9 guard was second in 2014 as Chicago reached the WNBA Finals.
Price was traded to the Liberty in 2015 for Cappie Pondexter. It ended a five-year run where the guard averaged 14.1 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 27.9 minutes per game.
Prince put up monster numbers, but her impact went way beyond the stats. She is sixth in scoring, third in 3-pointers made, four in assists, and third in steals in franchise history. Prince also played a key role in turning the Chicago Sky into contenders.
Epiphanny Prince was 27 years old when she was traded. The guard played nine more years in the WNBA but never could match her success in Chicago. She is unquestionably one of the best to ever put on the Sky’s uniform and both sides likely regret their breakup.
6. Candice Dupree
The Sky’s first draft pick was Dupree with the sixth overall selection in 2006. She was an All-American and two-time A-10 Player of the Year during her four years at Temple. The 6’2 forward was ready to hit the ground running in the WNBA.
Dupree was the Sky’s best player for the franchise’s first two seasons. She made three All-Star appearances in four years and was one of the league’s best forwards. During her time in Chicago, Dupree averaged 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game.
The Sky sent Dupree to Phoenix in a four-team deal in 2010. The 6’2 forward requested a trade after four years of failing to make the playoffs in Chicago. They kept improving, but could not get over the hump. The Sky got two role players in return, but it was not enough for Dupree.
She became a seven-time All-Star and won a championship in 2014. Only ten players have made more All-Star appearances in WNBA history. Candice Dupree is in the top ten in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and field goals made in Sky history. She was elite in Chicago and an all-time great. Chicago wishes she would have stayed for her entire career, but things did not work out.
5. Kahleah Copper
Copper was drafted seventh overall by the Mystics in 2016, which was three spots ahead of where Chicago selected. The 6’1 wing played 16.2 minutes per game as a rookie but was traded to the Sky in 2017. Washington gave up Copper, Stefanie Dolson, and a first-round pick for Elena Delle Donne.
Copper did not instantly break out. She played primarily a bench role in her first three seasons in Chicago. Her improvements in 2020 raised the team’s ceiling. Copper was in her prime and became their leading scorer. She averaged 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals during the 2021 playoffs as the Sky won the championship.
Copper made three straight All-Star appearances from 2021 to 2023 and transformed into one of the league’s elite wings. The Sky traded her before the 2024 season for two players and four draft picks. Copper is an All-Star for the fourth straight and will represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympics.
Kahleah Copper is top five in points, field goals, 3-pointers made, and rebounds in franchise history. She played a crucial role on their title squad and was a three-time All-Star in Chicago. Copper should arguably be higher on this list, but the Sky’s history is loaded with elite talent.
4. Allie Quigley
Quigley struggled to find her footing in the WNBA. She rarely played in her first five years over four different franchises. The 5’10 guard was out of the league for the 2012 season before finally landing with the Sky in 2013.
Quigley was a crucial part of the franchise becoming a contender. She played a small role in year one before becoming the two-time Sixth Woman of the Year. The guard helped Chicago reach the NBA Finals in 2014 and was a strong scorer and floor spacer before moving into the starting five in 2017.
Quigley made three All-Star appearances as a starter and was the second-leading scorer on their 2021 championship squad. She was 35 years old but had plenty left in the tank. The title run cemented her status as a legend.
She retired in 2022, but her ten years with the Sky is the second-most in franchise history. Allie Quigley is the franchise record holder for points, field goals, and 3-pointers made and has produced the fourth-most win shares.
The 5’10 guard married fellow Sky legend Courtney Vandersloot and is unquestionably one of their all-time greats. Quigley got buckets and helped transform Chicago into a contender. Nobody thought she would make such a massive impact when they signed her in 2013, but it was a pleasant surprise.
3. Courtney Vandersloot
The Sky used the third overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft on Vandersloot. She was an All-Star in year one and a key role player in Chicago for 12 seasons. Nobody has played more for the Sky and she blossomed into one of the best playmakers in the league.
Vandersloot was a four-time All-Star and five-time All-WNBA selection with Chicago. She was the Sky’s top playmaker on their 2021 championship squad, and the 5’8 guard made an impact on both ends of the floor.
Courtney Vandersloot left for the New York Liberty in free agency in 2023. She is second in Sky history in win shares and is second in WNBA history in assists. Vandersloot dished out 2,386 dimes during her time in Chicago, which is 1,702 more than Allie Quigley for second in team history. She was not just a playmaker. Vandersloot is second in points and the franchise's leader in steals.
Courtney Vandersloot is still playing for the New York Liberty. 2024 is her 14th season in the WNBA, and the 35-year-old is still filling a crucial role on one of the best teams in the W. She continues to make history and is unquestionably one of the best players ever for the Chicago Sky.
2. Elena Delle Donne
The Sky had the best record among lottery teams in 2013 and just a 24.9 percent chance of selecting in the top two. Things went their way as Chicago vaulted to number two and took Delle Donne. Brittney Griner was the first overall pick in the historic draft.
The Sky’s rookie was instantly one of the best players in the WNBA. She averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game as she won Rookie of the Year and finished third in MVP voting. Della Donne instantly helped Chicago snap a six-year playoff drought and the best was yet to come.
The 6’5 forward led the Sky to the WNBA Finals in 2014 and took home MVP honors in 2015. No other Chicago player has ever won Most Valuable Player. She was arguably the best player in the league, but the Sky traded her to Washington just days before she hit restricted free agency.
Elena Delle Donne is third in blocks and fifth in points, despite playing just four seasons with the Chicago Sky. She helped them become a contender and was the reason they added Kahleah Copper and Stefanie Dolson. Delle Donne won a championship in 2019 and another MVP honor. The future Hall of Famer started it all with the Sky.
1. Sylvia Fowles
The Sky drafted Fowles with the second overall pick in 2008. They made a nine-win improvement in their second WNBA season but wound up second after the lottery. Candace Parker went first overall, and Fowles was the no-brainer selection at two.
The 6’6 center was one of the WNBA’s best defenders immediately. She made six All-Defensive teams and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards in her seven seasons in Chicago. Fowles made three All-Star appearances and was in the running for MVP multiple times before the Sky traded her to Minnesota in 2015.
Fowles wanted out and sat out part of the 2015 campaign before the Lynx stepped up to acquire her. She was far from done. She won MVP in 2017 and led the Lynx to two championships over her final eight years in the league. Only six women have made more All-Star appearances than her eight.
Sylvia Fowles holds the franchise record for rebounds, blocks, and free throws. She was an elite two-way force and one of the best defenders in WNBA history. The 6’6 center was a stellar scorer too. She is unquestionably an all-time great and one of the best players in Sky history, despite the way things ended in Chicago.
The Chicago Sky plan on adding multiple players to this list. Angel Reese is already an All-Star as a rookie, but how high can she climb? Stay tuned to find out.