Crisis in the Sky
On October 24, 2023, the Chicago Sky introduced Teresa Weatherspoon (center) as their new head coach. She was flanked by franchise player Kaleah Copper (left) and CEO Nadia Rawlinson (right). Copper was traded Feb. 6 and Rawlinson hasn’t made a statement.
The Honeymoon between Chicago Sky new coach Teresa Weatherspoon and now former franchise player Kaleah Copper was over faster than a Kim Kardashian marriage. It was only four months ago that the Sky introduced Weatherspoon as their new leader on the bench as she sat in-between leader on the floor Copper and leader in the board room CEO Nadia Rawlinson. A pristine picture; three beautiful, talented, Black queens holding court in front of a rare packed Chicago sports media press conference and explaining how they were getting ready to take women’s professional basketball to new heights in the coming year.
However, it only took 105 days for the sky to come crashing down on this relationship. No couple’s counseling included, or the pageantry of a news conference. No, this time the news came in the form of a pitiful, dry press release sent by an organization in flux to announce they had traded their 2021 WNBA Finals MVP, future Olympian and face of the organization to the despised Phoenix Mercury. The team the Sky defeated to win their only championship in franchise history. Copper will now be teammates with the universally-hated Diana Taurasi and personal poster victim Sophie Cunningham, who served as the prop in one of the most iconic photos in WNBA history taken by Joe Camporeale of USA Today Sports. Copper standing over a dazed Cunningham in an Ali over Liston-esque moment that will forever be a part of Chicago sports lore.
Place this debacle right where it belongs, at the feet of the Sky ownership group, which includes, well a lot of damn people. So many, it’s hard to blame one person and naming them all would take longer than Coco Jones’ speech at the Grammys on Sunday. The question Chicago sports fans are now asking themselves is this; are the Chicago Sky serious? Like seriously, are you serious about being a pro sports franchise? The WNBA is moving forward and the Sky are still stuck in a time warp. Sun-Times journalist Annie Costabile said it best in her piece after speaking with multiple league sources and former players, “ownership has a reputation for being cheap.”
We have heard this before about Chicago sports owners. Imitating a Jerry Reinsdorf approach to your franchise is not something Chicago fans are in the mood for. We have seen how well that philosophy works in the always empty Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side where the White Sox play.
The wrong basketball team traded their franchise player. The Bulls can’t give Zach Lavine away for a cheerleader and some new Wilson basketballs, but the Sky managed to move Copper in exchange for some draft picks and two players that casual fans have never even heard of. It should be noted that even WNBA first-round picks often have trouble making the team. So what, if anything, did the Sky actually acquire for Copper?
Perhaps that is the biggest mistake in this whole mess. Marquee players are hard to come by and when you are in a league that has to yearly fight for its right to exist in Chicago’s sports landscape, you can’t afford to miss on big free agents and lose franchise players. The Sky’s reputation on doing just that speaks for itself.
WNBA players recent demands for better facilities, travel arrangements, compensation and increased marketing of players and the brand, are starting to be met by some franchises, just not the Sky. It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out that the best free agents are going to teams that are investing in their players, which explains why the Sky are swinging and missing. The Seattle Storm have signed Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike in the past week. Both players were targeted by the Sky, according to General Manager Jeff Pagliocaa. Both said, “nah I’m good,” and took their services to the Pacific Northwest.
Last year, 2021 championship team members Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot bolted from the Sky to Las Vegas, and New York respectively. Azura Stevens and Lexie Brown chose the bright lights of L.A. where Brown just announced signing an extension.
Here in Chicago, the third most populus city in the nation with the third largest media market, we have a pro sports franchise that is pinching pennies by having its players practice in a suburban park district facility. In the meantime, female hoopers at DePaul, Northwestern and UIC have their own locker rooms, dining options and practice facilities.
It would not shock me if Coach Weatherspoon gives the Sky the peace sign even before the season started. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. She wished Copper the best of luck on Instagram:
“Loved the time that we did spend together. Keep that same energy that you bring daily and be you unapologetically. Love, hugs and respect ALWAYS ChiKAHgo!”
Wish fans could say the same about the Sky ownership group.