2023 Chicago Sky season

2023 Chicago Sky season
CoachJames Wade (until July 1)
Emre Vatansever (after July 1)
ArenaWintrust Arena
Attendance7,242 per game
Results
Record18–22 (.450)
Place5th (Eastern)
Playoff finish8th seed; Lost 1st Round 0–2 to Las Vegas
Team Leaders
PointsKahleah Copper – 18.7 ppg
ReboundsAlanna Smith – 6.6 rpg
AssistsCourtney Williams – 6.3 apg
2024 season →

The 2023 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their fifth season under head coach James Wade. In the offseason, the team saw the departures of several key players in free agency including Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Azurá Stevens.

On July 1, 2023, Wade stepped down as the head coach of the Sky to become an assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA, so he was replaced by Emre Vatansever for the rest of the season.

The Women’s National Basketball Association announced that the first WNBA Canada Game would feature the Minnesota Lynx and the Sky on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. It was the first-ever WNBA preseason game in Canada.

The Sky started the season well, winning their first two games. However, they lost two of their last three in May to finish the month 3–2. The Sky won two of their first three games in June before going on a six-game losing streak. They defeated Los Angeles twice to finish the month and ended June with a 4–7 record. July began with a win before the team lost four straight games. Wins book-ended two losses to finish the month and the Sky finished with a 3–6 record in July. August started with two back-to-back wins in Dallas, but then the Sky lost five straight games. They finished the month winning three of their last five games to finish August with a 5–6 record. The Sky were battling with Los Angeles for the eighth and final playoff spot entering September. The Sky lost their first game of September, but won the last three to clinch the eighth seed on September 8, after defeating Minnesota.

As the eighth seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs, the Sky faced off against the first seed Las Vegas Aces in the First Round. The Sky lost the first game in Las Vegas 59–87. Needing a win in the second game, the Sky lost 70–92 in the second game and were eliminated from the playoffs. Their .450 winning percentage was the worst since 2018 and this was their fifth straight year qualifying for the playoffs.

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2023 WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country
2 23 Kayana Traylor United States Virginia Tech
3 35 Kseniya Malashka Belarus Middle Tennessee

Transactions

Date Transaction
January 11, 2023 Extended a Qualifying Offer to Rebekah Gardner
February 3, 2023 Signed Elizabeth Williams
February 4, 2023 Signed Courtney Williams
February 5, 2023 Signed Isabelle Harrison
Signed Feyonda Fitzgerald and Robyn Parks to Training Camp Contracts
February 7, 2023 Signed Astou Ndour-Fall to a 1-Year Deal
February 11, 2023 Acquired Marina Mabrey and a 2024 Second-Round Pick (from Phoenix) in a 4-Team Trade involving the Dallas Wings, Phoenix Mercury, and the New York Liberty
February 13, 2023 Signed Rebekah Gardner to a Reserved Qualifying Offers
February 14, 2023 Signed Alanna Smith to a 1-Year Deal
Suspended the contract of Julie Allemand for the full season due to her commitments with the Belgium National Team this summer
February 16, 2023 Signed Anneli Maley to a Training Camp Contract
February 21, 2023 Claimed Kristine Anigwe off of Waivers
April 12, 2023 Suspend the contract of Astou Ndour-Fall for the full season due to a personal decision
Signed Angel Baker to a Training Camp Contract
April 17, 2023 Signed Morgan Bertsch to a Training Camp Contract
April 29, 2023 Signed Kayana Traylor to a Rookie Scale Deal
May 10, 2023 Waived Angel Baker
May 14, 2023 Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on Dana Evans
May 17, 2023 Waived Feyonda Fitzgerald and Kayana Traylor
May 18, 2023 Suspended the contract of Li Yueru for the Full-Season due to Non-WNBA Injury
Claimed Sika Koné off Waivers
Waived Anneli Maley
Placed Ruthy Hebard on the Inactive List due to Pregnancy/Child-Birth
June 5, 2023 Temporarily suspend the contract of Kristine Anigwe due to Overseas Commitments
June 9, 2023 Signed Khaalia Hillsman and Taylor Soule to Hardship Contracts
June 17, 2023 Released Khaalia Hillsman from the Hardship Contract
June 22, 2023 Activated the temporarily suspended contract of Kristine Anigwe due to Overseas Commitments
July 1, 2023 Head Coach James Wade resigned as Head Coach and GM to take an Assistant Coach position with the Toronto Raptors
Promoted Assistant Coach Emre Vatansever to Interim Head Coach/GM
July 3, 2023 Activated Ruthy Hebard from the Inactive List due to Pregnancy/Maternity Leave
Waived Kristine Anigwe
July 27, 2023 Temporarily suspend the contract of Sika Koné due to Overseas Commitments
August 8, 2023 Activated the temporarily suspended contract of Sika Koné due to Overseas Commitments
September 10, 2023 Signed Kahleah Copper to a Contract Extension
October 12, 2023 Hired Teresa Weatherspoon as Head Coach

Roster Changes

Roster

2023 Chicago Sky roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
F 25 Bertsch, Morgan 6' 4" (1.93m) 173 lb (78kg) 04-20-1997 UC Davis R
G/F 2 Copper, Kahleah 6' 1" (1.85m) 165 lb (75kg) 1994-08-28 Rutgers 7
G 11 Evans, Dana 5' 6" (1.68m) 145 lb (66kg) 08-01-1998 Louisville 2
G 35 Gardner, Rebekah Injured 6' 1" (1.85m) 130 lb (59kg) 1990-07-09 UCLA 1
F 20 Harrison, Isabelle Injured 6' 3" (1.91m) 183 lb (83kg) 1993-09-27 Tennessee 6
F 24 Hebard, Ruthy 6' 4" (1.93m) 190 lb (86kg) 1998-04-28 Oregon 3
F 23 Koné, Sika (S) 6' 4" (1.93m) 180 lb (82kg) 2002-07-13 Mali R
G 4 Mabrey, Marina 5' 11" (1.8m) 170 lb (77kg) 1996-09-14 Notre Dame 4
F 21 Parks, Robyn 6' 1" (1.85m) 170 lb (77kg) 07-19-1992 VCU R
F 8 Smith, Alanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 180 lb (82kg) 09-10-1996 Stanford 4
F 7 Soule, Taylor 5' 11" (1.8m) 186 lb (84kg) 01-05-2000 Virginia Tech R
G 10 Williams, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m) 133 lb (60kg) 1994-05-11 South Florida 7
C 1 Williams, Elizabeth 6' 3" (1.91m) 200 lb (91kg) 1993-06-23 Duke 8
Head coach
Emre Vatansever (Marmara University)
Assistant coaches
Tonya Edwards (Tennessee)
Ann Wauters
Yoann Cabioc'h
Athletic trainer
Meghan Lockerby
Strength and conditioning coach
Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Depth

Pos. Starter Bench
PG Marina Mabrey Dana Evans
SG Courtney Williams Rebekah Gardner
SF Kahleah Copper Robyn Parks
Taylor Soule
PF Alanna Smith Morgan Bertsch
Sika Koné
Isabelle Harrison
C Elizabeth Williams Ruthy Hebard

Schedule

Preseason

2023 game log
Total: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
May: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 5 @ Dallas L 70–75 Kahleah Copper (16) Rebekah Gardner (7) Dana Evans (3) College Park Center
2,004 		0–1
2 May 7 Indiana W 81–56 Isabelle Harrison (15) Rebekah Gardner (5) Courtney Williams (4) Wintrust Arena
2,024 		1–1
3 May 13 vs. Minnesota W 82–74 Kahleah Copper (18) Kahleah Copper (9) Dana Evans (5) Scotiabank Arena
19,800 		2–1
2023 season schedule

Regular Season

2023 game log
Total: 18–22 (Home: 7–13; Road: 11–9)
May: 3–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 19 @ Minnesota W 77–66 Kahleah Copper (20) Copper
C. Williams (7) 		Kahleah Copper (5) Target Center
8,024 		1–0
2 May 21 @ Phoenix W 75–69 Kahleah Copper (15) Elizabeth Williams (8) Courtney Williams (7) Footprint Center
14,040 		2–0
3 May 26 Washington L 69–71 Marina Mabrey (19) Courtney Williams (9) Courtney Williams (5) Wintrust Arena
7,304 		2–1
4 May 28 Dallas W 94–88 Marina Mabrey (23) Alanna Smith (12) Marina Mabrey (8) Wintrust Arena
6,042 		3–1
5 May 30 @ Atlanta L 65–83 Dana Evans (11) Sika Koné (8) Dana Evans (5) Gateway Center Arena
2,562 		3–2
June : 4–7 (Home: 3–3; Road: 1–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
6 June 2 New York L 76–77 Kahleah Copper (20) Kahleah Copper (9) Courtney Williams (7) Wintrust Arena
7,188 		3–3
7 June 4 @ New York W 86–82 Kahleah Copper (27) Courtney Williams (9) Courtney Williams (6) Barclays Center
7,225 		4–3
8 June 6 Indiana W 108–103 (OT) Marina Mabrey (28) Elizabeth Williams (7) Dana Evans (7) Wintrust Arena
5,201 		5–3
9 June 9 @ Los Angeles L 62–77 Alanna Smith (19) Alanna Smith (9) Marina Mabrey (4) Crypto.com Arena
5,431 		5–4
10 June 11 @ Las Vegas L 80–93 Marina Mabrey (20) Alanna Smith (8) Dana Evans (8) Michelob Ultra Arena
9,786 		5–5
11 June 15 Indiana L 90–92 Marina Mabrey (36) Alanna Smith (11) Courtney Williams (10) Wintrust Arena
6,323 		5–6
12 June 18 @ Washington L 69–77 Morgan Bertsch (16) Alanna Smith (13) Courtney Williams (6) Entertainment and Sports Arena
4,009 		5–7
13 June 22 Washington L 59–80 Alanna Smith (13) Alanna Smith (8) Courtney Williams (9) Wintrust Arena
6,158 		5–8
14 June 25 @ Connecticut L 72–96 Kahleah Copper (29) Kahleah Copper (7) Evans
Mabrey
C. Williams (5) 		Mohegan Sun Arena
6,517 		5–9
15 June 28 Los Angeles W 80–63 Courtney Williams (21) Courtney Williams (9) Marina Mabrey (4) Wintrust Arena
8,810 		6–9
16 June 30 Los Angeles W 86–78 Alanna Smith (18) Courtney Williams (11) Courtney Williams (13) Wintrust Arena
7,272 		7–9
July : 3–6 (Home: 1–5; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
17 July 2 @ Indiana W 89–87 Courtney Williams (28) Elizabeth Williams (9) Courtney Williams (8) Gainbridge Fieldhouse
4,004 		8–9
18 July 7 Atlanta L 68–82 Kahleah Copper (16) Copper
Smith (6) 		Courtney Williams (7) Wintrust Arena
7,911 		8–10
19 July 9 Atlanta L 77–88 Kahleah Copper (28) Elizabeth Williams (9) Courtney Williams (7) Wintrust Arena
7,325 		8–11
20 July 12 Connecticut L 72–84 Kahleah Copper (22) C. Williams
E. Williams (8) 		Courtney Williams (6) Wintrust Arena
9,025 		8–12
21 July 20 @ Phoenix L 62–80 Kahleah Copper (17) Elizabeth Williams (8) Elizabeth Williams (5) Footprint Center
11,292 		8–13
22 July 22 @ Seattle W 90–75 Kahleah Copper (29) Alanna Smith (17) Marina Mabrey (6) Climate Pledge Arena
8,655 		9–13
23 July 25 Las Vegas L 95–107 Kahleah Copper (37) Alanna Smith (8) Courtney Williams (11) Wintrust Arena
9,025 		9–14
24 July 28 Seattle L 74–83 Kahleah Copper (17) Kahleah Copper (8) Courtney Williams (5) Wintrust Arena
7,213 		9–15
25 July 30 Phoenix W 104–85 Kahleah Copper (24) Mabrey
E. Williams (5) 		Courtney Williams (9) Wintrust Arena
8,914 		10–15
August : 5–6 (Home: 1–3; Road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
26 August 4 @ Dallas W 104–89 Copper
C. Williams (25) 		Courtney Williams (6) Courtney Williams (6) College Park Center
3,762 		11–15
27 August 6 @ Dallas W 104–96 Marina Mabrey (32) Courtney Williams (8) Courtney Williams (8) College Park Center
4,057 		12–15
28 August 8 Minnesota L 79–88 Kahleah Copper (23) Elizabeth Williams (9) Courtney Williams (6) Wintrust Arena
5,099 		12–16
29 August 11 New York 73–89 Alanna Smith (19) Courtney Williams (10) Courtney Williams (6) Wintrust Arena
8,070 		12–17
30 August 13 @ Washington L 76–83 Kahleah Copper (17) Elizabeth Williams (12) Courtney Williams (7) Entertainment and Sports Arena
3,796 		12–18
31 August 18 @ Atlanta L 67–78 Dana Evans (18) Alanna Smith (12) Elizabeth Williams (5) Gateway Center Arena
2,957 		12–19
32 August 20 Connecticut L 73–79 Kahleah Copper (15) Alanna Smith (8) C. Williams
E. Williams (6) 		Wintrust Arena
6,901 		12–20
33 August 22 Seattle W 102–79 Dana Evans (23) Alanna Smith (7) Dana Evans (8) Wintrust Arena
4,822 		13–20
34 August 24 Las Vegas L 87–94 Marina Mabrey (22) Elizabeth Williams (9) Courtney Williams (6) Wintrust Arena
8,084 		13–21
35 August 27 @ Seattle W 90–85 Elizabeth Williams (23) Kahleah Copper (12) C. Williams
Evans (6) 		Climate Pledge Arena
9,893 		14–21
36 August 29 @ Los Angeles W 76–75 Kahleah Copper (22) C. Williams
E. Williams (9) 		Courtney Williams (7) Crypto.com Arena
6,041 		15–21
September : 3–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
37 September 3 New York L 69–86 Kahleah Copper (23) C. Williams
E. Williams (7) 		Courtney Williams (6) Wintrust Arena
8,223 		15–22
38 September 5 @ Indiana W 96–69 Kahleah Copper (25) Courtney Williams (8) Marina Mabrey (6) Gainbridge Fieldhouse
2,450 		16–22
39 September 8 Minnesota W 92–87 Kahleah Copper (20) Sika Koné (10) Courtney Williams (10) Wintrust Arena
7,994 		17–22
40 September 10 @ Connecticut W 102–91 (OT) Courtney Williams (23) Courtney Williams (16) Courtney Williams (13) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,377 		18–22
2023 season schedule

Playoffs

2023 playoff game log
First Round vs. Las Vegas
Lost Series: 0-2
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 September 13 @ Las Vegas L 59–87 Kahleah Copper (15) Courtney Williams (11) Courtney Williams (6) T-Mobile Arena
12,927 		0–1
2 September 17 @ Las Vegas L 70–92 Kahleah Copper (25) Copper
E. Williams (10) 		Elizabeth Williams (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
9,000 		0–2
2023 playoff schedule

Standings

# Team
W L PCT GB Conf. Home Road Cup
1 x – Las Vegas Aces 34 6 .850 – 18–2 19–1 15–5 9–1
2 x – New York Liberty 32 8 .800 2 16–4 15–5 17–3 7–3
3 x – Connecticut Sun 27 13 .675 7 14–6 13–7 14–6 7–3
4 x – Dallas Wings 22 18 .550 12 11–9 11–9 11–9 6–4
5 x – Atlanta Dream 19 21 .475 15 11–9 11–9 8–12 6–4
6 x – Minnesota Lynx 19 21 .475 15 12–8 9–11 10–10 5–5
7 x – Washington Mystics 19 21 .475 15 9–11 12–8 7–13 5–5
8 x – Chicago Sky 18 22 .450 16 5–15 7–13 11–9 3–7
9 e – Los Angeles Sparks 17 23 .425 17 9–11 10–10 7–13 5–5
10 e – Indiana Fever 13 27 .325 21 5–15 6–14 7–13 2–8
11 e – Seattle Storm 11 29 .275 23 8–12 4–16 7–13 4–6
12 e – Phoenix Mercury 9 31 .225 25 2–18 8–12 1–19 1–9

Notes

(#) – League Standing
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from postseason contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

Playoffs

See also: 2023 WNBA Playoffs
Round One:
Best-of-3 		Semifinals:
Best-of-5 		Finals:
Best-of-5
         
1 Las Vegas Aces 2
8 Chicago Sky 0
1 Las Vegas Aces 3
4 Dallas Wings 0
4 Dallas Wings 2
5 Atlanta Dream 0
1 Las Vegas Aces 3
2 New York Liberty 1
2 New York Liberty 2
7 Washington Mystics 0
2 New York Liberty 3
3 Connecticut Sun 1
3 Connecticut Sun 2
6 Minnesota Lynx 1

Bold Series winner

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

Regular Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kahleah Copper 38 38 31.2 .448 .404 .770 4.4 2.0 0.9 0.3 18.7
Marina Mabrey 39 39 30.0 .411 .390 .836 3.7 3.6 0.7 0.5 15.0
Courtney Williams 40 40 30.1 .437 .443 .600 6.0 6.3 1.0 0.3 10.4
Elizabeth Williams 40 40 29.7 .514 .000 .630 5.8 2.5 1.3 1.5 9.8
Alanna Smith 38 35 26.5 .498 .294 .679 6.6 1.8 1.3 1.3 9.2
Dana Evans 39 1 21.5 .360 .294 .854 1.2 3.0 0.7 0.1 9.0
Rebekah Gardner 3 0 19.7 .429 .600 1.000 3.7 2.3 2.0 0.3 7.0
Morgan Bertsch 28 5 14.2 .456 .444 .750 1.7 0.7 0.4 0.3 4.4
Robyn Parks 37 2 13.6 .381 .368 1.000 1.6 0.4 0.3 0.1 3.9
Ruthy Hebard 19 0 9.2 .585 .000 .650 2.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 3.9
Sika Koné≠ 20 0 9.3 .532 .333 .769 3.0 0.5 0.2 0.1 3.6
Kristine Anigwe‡ 10 0 8.3 .455 .000 .625 2.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 2.5
Taylor Soule≠ 15 0 3.5 .143 .000 .625 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.6
Khaalia Hillsman‡ 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0


‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kahleah Copper 2 2 34.5 .406 .455 .750 7.5 1.5 0.5 0.0 20.0
Dana Evans 2 0 22.5 .417 .250 1.000 0.5 3.5 1.5 0.0 14.5
Marina Mabrey 2 2 32.5 .348 .222 1.000 3.5 1.5 0.0 1.5 9.5
Courtney Williams 2 2 32.5 .316 .286 .000 8.0 4.0 0.5 1.0 7.0
Elizabeth Williams 2 2 33.0 .286 .000 .000 10.0 3.0 0.5 2.0 4.0
Alanna Smith 2 2 18.0 .300 .000 1.000 4.5 0.5 0.0 1.0 4.0
Robyn Parks 2 0 13.0 .333 .333 .000 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5
Sika Koné 2 0 4.5 .667 .000 .000 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 2.0
Ruthy Hebard 2 0 7.0 .250 .000 .000 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.5 1.0
Morgan Bertsch 1 0 5.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Taylor Soule 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Kahleah Copper WNBA All-Star July 1
Courtney Williams Eastern Conference Player of the Week July 5
Elizabeth Williams All-Defensive Second Team September 22