Chicago Sky reacts to announcement of new practice facility

The investment represents a more advanced era for the franchise and should help the team compete in a loaded free agency market in 2026.

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Sky’s player experience has lagged behind the rest of the league

You don’t come to Sky for the convenience – or at least that’s been the case historically. Since 2011, the team has practiced at a public recreation center 30 miles north of downtown Chicago.

The Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, Illinois, offers the bare essentials for a gym, weight room and film room. But it lacks the access and amenities typical of elite athletes. Players cannot train or receive treatment outside of the reserved hours. They do not have their own lockers or access to other personalized spaces.

A view of the entrance to the Sachs Recreation Center — The main entrance to the current Chicago Sky practice facility in Deerfield, Illinois (Photo Credit: Alissa Hirsh | Next)

Partly as a result, Sky has struggled in the free agency market.

After leading the Sky to their first WNBA championship in 2021, WNBA legend Candace Parker signed with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. Parker’s decision was multifaceted, including a desire to be closer to her daughter. But she later said on “The Draymond Green Show” that she wanted to finish her career in a place that represented the league’s progress rather than its struggle. In Las Vegas, she would have her own locker for the first time in her career.

Other veteran stars have chosen to sign with teams that invest heavily in player experience. Ahead of the 2024 season, the Seattle Storm signed the Sky’s top two free agency targets, Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

But in the background, Sky was making the necessary organizational changes.

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How heaven laid the foundations of the future

The organization raised $8.5 million from a group of investors that included Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon and Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts. It has also hired an accomplished executive in Nadia Rawlinson as chief operating officer.

And following the departure of former head coach and general manager James Wade, the Sky eventually separated the two roles. They were the last WNBA team to have a person serve as both general manager and head coach.

Now Sky will have an advantage when it comes to the player experience. Currently, only three of the WNBA’s 12 teams have exclusive access to their practice facility. The other nine teams share the space.

While Sky’s $38 million investment falls short of the league’s newest facilities (Phoenix spent $100 million, Seattle spent $64 million and Las Vegas spent $40 million), it will be an immediate upgrade from the Sachs Recreation Center.

Competing in a loaded free agency market in 2026

According to Sky’s press release, the 40,000-square-foot facility will feature two regulation-size WNBA courts, an advanced training room, a private chef’s kitchen and custom cabinetry.

Its location 11 miles south of Wintrust Arena will allow players to live downtown and sleep in their own beds the night before games. Most of the players currently live in an apartment complex near Sachs and stay in a hotel the night before games.

“I’m happy to make it a priority because it means we’re their priority,” Sky guard Dana Evans told The Next about the new facility. “And when we’re their priority, you’re going to get better production, better everything.”

Although the organization declined to share more key details about the facility – how exactly it will be financed, for example – the projected timing will be perfect for Sky to capitalize on its investment. Almost no veteran WNBA players have signed with their current teams beyond 2025 as a new collective bargaining agreement is expected to be in place that could increase player salaries for 2026.

Combine that with the addition of two expansion teams, and free agency could completely remake the league in 2026.

In the best case scenario, the Sky will arrive at that critical moment with a new facility and a solid core of guard Chennedy Carter, forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso. That could make the Sky the kind of free agency destination that used to lure its stars.

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Blending old school thinking and new school investing

Rather than making large financial investments in the player experience, Sky has historically relied on strong player-coach relationships and a family culture to build value.

Now Sky are also making financial investment a priority. But in some ways, first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon embodies the organization’s previous approach.

As the organization delayed the announcement of its new practice facility this season, Weatherspoon argued that having “a ball and a basket” is “more than enough.” Fans latched onto Weatherspoon’s connection with Carter and Reese as the most promising development of the season.

“It’s amazing to me — you know I’m old school — that you have to sell a facility to players,” Weatherspoon told reporters after the new facility was announced. “Because… when you’re done playing, you can take that facility and take it with you? Or can you remove the learning, the wisdom, the knowledge that has been poured in?”

It’s true that basketball offers many intangible benefits, but WNBA players aren’t just ordinary players pursuing their dreams. They are world-class professionals fighting to raise their working conditions to the level of other major sports leagues.

“(The investment in dedicated facilities) signifies the standard we have as a league,” Sky veteran Diamond DeShields told The Next at practice during the Olympic break.

In a few cases around the league, the status quo is still behind college athletics. “In college, there are state-of-the-art facilities where you train and train,” DeShields said. “As you get better, you shouldn’t have Less accession.”

Finally, Sky recognized the importance of the player’s perspective. As Weatherspoon told reporters, “(Practice facilities) mean a lot to most players? Yes. So what do you do because it makes sense? You sell it.”

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