This year's WNBA All-Star Game was essentially a huge success. The game itself broke attendance records with 19,783 fans packed into the United Center. Thousands of people poured into the city and attended brand activations and events. President Barack Obama welcomed the All-Stars to his recently opened Obama Presidential Center for a Friday morning that was unlike any in All-Star history.
But there was something missing, and anyone paying attention would have seen it: the Chicago Sky were very nearly absent from the entire weekend.
This weekend was Chicago's second time hosting the All-Star in five years. This time around, the team was meant to host events in their practice facility (which is still under construction). Delays have meant that not only is the team still practicing at the Wintrust Arena (where they play most of their games), but it also means the team will likely not fare well during free agency ahead of next season. (All-Star essentially could have served as great advertising for all the Sky organization can offer.)
The literal team was notably absent. There were no Sky players on the All-Star rosters, and none of them participated in the Friday night events. Head coach Tyler Marsh and GM Jeff Pagliocca were similarly missing in action. To make matters worse for the team, many former players were on All-Star rosters and played extremely well, or participated in the Shooting Star challenge Friday night.
Elena Delle Donne, Courtney Williams, Angel Reese, Kahleah Copper, and Marina Mabrey all enjoyed triumphant returns to the city that they each appear to have happily departed. Williams now plays for the Minnesota Lynx; Reese infamously announced her move to the Atlanta Dream ahead of the start of the 2026 season. Mabrey is playing for the Toronto Tempo, where she's thriving by every possible metric and indication. Copper, who was added to the All-Star roster to replace an injured Kelsey Plum, has been rooted at the Phoenix Mercury for quite some time now.
This leaves the Sky in a difficult spot that the team has been trying to navigate for years. The practice facility is now theoretically opening in November, after the conclusion of the 2026 season and before free agency will begin. Several of the team's players (including Skylar Diggins) are not on extensive deals with the team, and it's possible they could end the deals they have arranged early if other teams are interested in pursuing them.
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