There was only one significant question surrounding the Sky after they won their first WNBA championship in 2021: Would they do it again?
It was a question that coach and general manager James Wade appeared to answer with a firm yes in free agency when the team re-signed its core of Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Kahleah Copper and made key additions with the signing of forward Emma Meesseman and a trade for guard Julie Allemand.
But the answer, it turned out, was no. And after being eliminated by the Sun in a five-game semifinal series, the Sky are facing even tougher questions this offseason. Questions such as: Will the face of the franchise, Vandersloot, return or — for the first time in her WNBA career — suit up for another team?
Will Quigley, the sharpshooter who began her legacy at DePaul — and solidified it when she led the Sky in a fourth-quarter comeback en route to the 2021 title — hang it up after failing to repeat?
And will Candace Parker, one of the greatest the WNBA has ever seen, join Quigley in retirement after a season in which she showed she still has history left to make?
Let’s start with the toughest question.
When Parker, who grew up in Naperville, signed with the Sky in 2020, she did so to play with championship-caliber players. Vandersloot was one of the keys to her returning to the area.
“Sloot is Chicago,” Parker said after Game 1 of the semifinals in August. “This is her franchise. I came here to play with her.”
Vandersloot is motivated by challenges, and there was none bigger than the Sky winning back-to-back titles — a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in the WNBA in more than 20 years. But after the Sky fell short, she could be motivated by something new — and something Parker understands well.
A significant reason why Vandersloot, who ranks third on the WNBA’s career assists list, took meetings with the Storm and Lynx last winter before sticking with the Sky was a desire to grow her game outside of the comfort she has established in Chicago. Working with player-development coach Jeff Pagliocca this year pushed her outside her comfort zone to an extent. But next season, Vandersloot, who’s originally from Kent, Washington, might go further by taking a page out of Parker’s playbook and relocating closer to home in Seattle. It could be just the challenge she’s looking for.
Prediction: Vandersloot signs with the Storm in February.
Quigley’s and Parker’s impending retirements aren’t news — each has talked at length about her career nearing its end — but for Quigley, the end could be closer.
Her story could inspire even the faintest of sports fans. After being drafted by the Storm with the 22nd pick in 2008 — the same year Parker went first overall — Quigley played for five WNBA teams in four years. In 2012, she opted not to play in the WNBA and focused instead on her career overseas. When she returned in 2013, it was to play for coach Pokey Chatman and the Sky, with whom she more than doubled her points per game from 2013 to 2014.
She became a three-time All-Star and a four-time three-point contest winner. Like her wife, Vandersloot, she stayed with the Sky with the goal of bringing Chicago its first WNBA title, taking a $59,000 pay cut this year.
Quigley’s numbers took a hit in 2022. She averaged 11.4 points, her lowest-scoring season since 2016, when she averaged 9.5. And she opted not to play overseas for the first time in 15 years.
Prediction: Quigley announces her retirement in the new year.
Now for Parker. In her 15th season, she became the first WNBA player with at least 6,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists, was named to the All-WNBA first team for the seventh time and became a seven-time All-Star. She’s also a two-time league MVP and the only player in league history to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year (2008).
Before the Sky dropped Games 4 and 5 of to the Sun, she was averaging 16.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and five assists through six playoff games and had 19 points, 18 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and four steals in Game 1.
Parker has said in the past that she hasn’t continued playing just for the sake of it — she wants titles. She also has said the only two teams she has an interest in playing for are the Sparks (her previous team) and the Sky.
She has made it clear she has no intention of cheating the game, and there are no signs that would be the case in 2023.
Prediction: Parker returns, signing with either the Sparks or Sky, depending on how both teams are constructed in free agency.
