2023 Chicago Sky 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

Transactions

Roster changes

Additions

Subtractions

Roster

Depth

Schedule

Preseason

|- | 1 | May 5 | @ Dallas | L 70–75 | Kahleah Copper (16) | Rebekah Gardner (7) | Dana Evans (3) | College Park Center<br>2,004 | 0–1 |- | 2 | May 7 | Indiana | W 81–56 | Isabelle Harrison (15) | Rebekah Gardner (5) | Courtney Williams (4) | Wintrust Arena<br>2,024 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 13 | vs. Minnesota | W 82–74 | Kahleah Copper (18) | Kahleah Copper (9) | Dana Evans (5) | Scotiabank Arena<br>19,800 | 2–1 |-

Regular season

|- | 1 | May 19 | @ Minnesota | W 77–66 | Kahleah Copper (20) | Copper<br>C. Williams (7) | Kahleah Copper (5) | Target Center<br>8,024 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 21 | @ Phoenix | W 75–69 | Kahleah Copper (15) | Elizabeth Williams (8) | Courtney Williams (7) | Footprint Center<br>14,040 | 2–0 |- | 3 | May 26 | Washington | L 69–71 | Marina Mabrey (19) | Courtney Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (5) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,304 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 28 | Dallas | W 94–88 | Marina Mabrey (23) | Alanna Smith (12) | Marina Mabrey (8) | Wintrust Arena<br>6,042 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 30 | @ Atlanta | L 65–83 | Dana Evans (11) | Sika Koné (8) | Dana Evans (5) | Gateway Center Arena<br>2,562 | 3–2

|- | 6 | June 2 | New York | L 76–77 | Kahleah Copper (20) | Kahleah Copper (9) | Courtney Williams (7) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,188 | 3–3 |- | 7 | June 4 | @ New York | W 86–82 | Kahleah Copper (27) | Courtney Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (6) | Barclays Center<br>7,225 | 4–3 |- | 8 | June 6 | Indiana | W 108–103 (OT) | Marina Mabrey (28) | Elizabeth Williams (7) | Dana Evans (7) | Wintrust Arena<br>5,201 | 5–3 |- | 9 | June 9 | @ Los Angeles | L 62–77 | Alanna Smith (19) | Alanna Smith (9) | Marina Mabrey (4) | Crypto.com Arena<br>5,431 | 5–4 |- | 10 | June 11 | @ Las Vegas | L 80–93 | Marina Mabrey (20) | Alanna Smith (8) | Dana Evans (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena<br>9,786 | 5–5 |- | 11 | June 15 | Indiana | L 90–92 | Marina Mabrey (36) | Alanna Smith (11) | Courtney Williams (10) | Wintrust Arena<br>6,323 | 5–6 |- | 12 | June 18 | @ Washington | L 69–77 | Morgan Bertsch (16) | Alanna Smith (13) | Courtney Williams (6) | Entertainment and Sports Arena<br>4,009 | 5–7 |- | 13 | June 22 | Washington | L 59–80 | Alanna Smith (13) | Alanna Smith (8) | Courtney Williams (9) | Wintrust Arena<br>6,158 | 5–8 |- | 14 | June 25 | @ Connecticut | L 72–96 | Kahleah Copper (29) | Kahleah Copper (7) | Evans<br>Mabrey<br>C. Williams (5) | Mohegan Sun Arena<br>6,517 | 5–9 |- | 15 | June 28 | Los Angeles | W 80–63 | Courtney Williams (21) | Courtney Williams (9) | Marina Mabrey (4) | Wintrust Arena<br>8,810 | 6–9 |- | 16 | June 30 | Los Angeles | W 86–78 | Alanna Smith (18) | Courtney Williams (11) | Courtney Williams (13) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,272 | 7–9

|- | 17 | July 2 | @ Indiana | W 89–87 | Courtney Williams (28) | Elizabeth Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (8) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse<br>4,004 | 8–9 |- | 18 | July 7 | Atlanta | L 68–82 | Kahleah Copper (16) | Copper<br>Smith (6) | Courtney Williams (7) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,911 | 8–10 |- | 19 | July 9 | Atlanta | L 77–88 | Kahleah Copper (28) | Elizabeth Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (7) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,325 | 8–11 |- | 20 | July 12 | Connecticut | L 72–84 | Kahleah Copper (22) | C. Williams<br>E. Williams (8) | Courtney Williams (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>9,025 | 8–12 |- | 21 | July 20 | @ Phoenix | L 62–80 | Kahleah Copper (17) | Elizabeth Williams (8) | Elizabeth Williams (5) | Footprint Center<br>11,292 | 8–13 |- | 22 | July 22 | @ Seattle | W 90–75 | Kahleah Copper (29) | Alanna Smith (17) | Marina Mabrey (6) | Climate Pledge Arena<br>8,655 | 9–13 |- | 23 | July 25 | Las Vegas | L 95–107 | Kahleah Copper (37) | Alanna Smith (8) | Courtney Williams (11) | Wintrust Arena<br>9,025 | 9–14 |- | 24 | July 28 | Seattle | L 74–83 | Kahleah Copper (17) | Kahleah Copper (8) | Courtney Williams (5) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,213 | 9–15 |- | 25 | July 30 | Phoenix | W 104–85 | Kahleah Copper (24) | Mabrey<br>E. Williams (5) | Courtney Williams (9) | Wintrust Arena<br>8,914 | 10–15

|- | 26 | August 4 | @ Dallas | W 104–89 | Copper<br>C. Williams (25) | Courtney Williams (6) | Courtney Williams (6) | College Park Center<br>3,762 | 11–15 |- | 27 | August 6 | @ Dallas | W 104–96 | Marina Mabrey (32) | Courtney Williams (8) | Courtney Williams (8) | College Park Center<br>4,057 | 12–15 |- | 28 | August 8 | Minnesota | L 79–88 | Kahleah Copper (23) | Elizabeth Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>5,099 | 12–16 |- | 29 | August 11 | New York | 73–89 | Alanna Smith (19) | Courtney Williams (10) | Courtney Williams (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>8,070 | 12–17 |- | 30 | August 13 | @ Washington | L 76–83 | Kahleah Copper (17) | Elizabeth Williams (12) | Courtney Williams (7) | Entertainment and Sports Arena<br>3,796 | 12–18 |- | 31 | August 18 | @ Atlanta | L 67–78 | Dana Evans (18) | Alanna Smith (12) | Elizabeth Williams (5) | Gateway Center Arena<br>2,957 | 12–19 |- | 32 | August 20 | Connecticut | L 73–79 | Kahleah Copper (15) | Alanna Smith (8) | C. Williams<br>E. Williams (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>6,901 | 12–20 |- | 33 | August 22 | Seattle | W 102–79 | Dana Evans (23) | Alanna Smith (7) | Dana Evans (8) | Wintrust Arena<br>4,822 | 13–20 |- | 34 | August 24 | Las Vegas | L 87–94 | Marina Mabrey (22) | Elizabeth Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>8,084 | 13–21 |- | 35 | August 27 | @ Seattle | W 90–85 | Elizabeth Williams (23) | Kahleah Copper (12) | C. Williams<br>Evans (6) | Climate Pledge Arena<br>9,893 | 14–21 |- | 36 | August 29 | @ Los Angeles | W 76–75 | Kahleah Copper (22) | C. Williams<br>E. Williams (9) | Courtney Williams (7) | Crypto.com Arena<br>6,041 | 15–21

|- | 37 | September 3 | New York | L 69–86 | Kahleah Copper (23) | C. Williams<br>E. Williams (7) | Courtney Williams (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>8,223 | 15–22 |- | 38 | September 5 | @ Indiana | W 96–69 | Kahleah Copper (25) | Courtney Williams (8) | Marina Mabrey (6) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse<br>2,450 | 16–22 |- | 39 | September 8 | Minnesota | W 92–87 | Kahleah Copper (20) | Sika Koné (10) | Courtney Williams (10) | Wintrust Arena<br>7,994 | 17–22 |- | 40 | September 10 | @ Connecticut | W 102–91 (OT) | Courtney Williams (23) | Courtney Williams (16) | Courtney Williams (13) | Mohegan Sun Arena<br>6,377 | 18–22 |-

Playoffs

|- | 1 | September 13 | @ Las Vegas | L 59–87 | Kahleah Copper (15) | Courtney Williams (11) | Courtney Williams (6) | T-Mobile Arena<br> 12,927 | 0–1 |- | 2 | September 17 | @ Las Vegas | L 70–92 | Kahleah Copper (25) | Copper<br>E. Williams (10) | Elizabeth Williams (5) | Michelob Ultra Arena<br> 9,000 | 0–2

Standings

Playoffs

Statistics

Regular season

<br />^‡Waived/Released during the season <br />^â€ÂTraded during the season <br />^â‰ÂAcquired during the season

Playoffs

Awards and honors

References