Chicago has been in a free fall over the last year. After making the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons and winning their first title in that stretch they failed to qualify last year and its looking even worse this season. They had started slipping in 2023 itself, having an 18-23 record and losing in the first round to eventual winner Las Vegas Aces in a dominating fashion. All players from their domination days have moved on, and they have been rebuilding in the last couple of seasons. At least, they have tried. The Sky have gone through 4 head coaches in 2 seasons, including firing Teresa Weatherspoon after just one year despite strong player support and a rebuilding mindset. They cited “being a playoff and championship contender every year,” and it is not turning out the way they expected. To add further salt to their wounds, they have a distressing update as to how the players in the league see the organisation.
In The Athletic’s anonymous 2025 player poll, the Chicago Sky were named the worst-run organization in the WNBA, and it wasn’t even close. The Sky earned a staggering 40.7% of the vote, outpacing the Connecticut Sun (29.6%) by a wide margin.
“They don’t have a facility. It’s just a lot of the other stuff with them,” one player bluntly stated. Another added, “They’re still practicing in a rec center. That’s not … ideal.”
The facility issue has haunted the Chicago Sky for over a decade. Since 2011, they’ve trained at Sachs Recreation Center, a public gym in suburban Deerfield, nearly 30 miles from their home court at Wintrust Arena. The space is shared with local residents and lacks even the most basic professional amenities, like private locker rooms or dedicated training areas. For a franchise based in one of the country’s biggest sports markets, it’s been a lingering source of frustration and embarrassment.
But that’s about to change. In partnership with the Village of Bedford Park, the Sky will break ground this fall on a long-overdue, $38 million performance center just outside downtown. The new 40,000-square-foot facility, slated to open in December 2025, will include WNBA-regulation courts, a film room, recovery suites, a chef’s kitchen, beauty and content studios, and 24/7 access for players and staff.
What is the WNBA’s worst-run organization?
According to the players: Chicago.
“They’re still practicing in a rec center. That’s not … ideal.” pic.twitter.com/QoJ2Hm3X9G
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 17, 2025
Dubbed “Skytown,” the state-of-the-art complex promises to finally give the Sky a professional-caliber home and begin repairing the franchise’s reputation. However, it’s not going to be ready for a while. Chicago Sky President and CEO Adam Fox explained, “Construction of the Chicago Sky facility in the village of Bedford Park is on schedule for delivery before the start of the 2026 WNBA season. As the WNBA continues to experience record-setting growth, we’ve kept a sharp focus on the competitive and consistently evolving landscape to ensure our performance facility meets the needs of elite players now and into the future. Since our July 2024 announcement, we have worked collaboratively with the village of Bedford Park to make additional facility updates consistent with that goal.”
However, that’s not all. “A lot of stuff always seems to be going on there,” said another player. The red flags have been waving for a while. Former star Kahleah Copper didn’t just leave last year, she questioned everything on her way out. “What are we doing?” she asked herself, frustrated by the lack of direction. When no one could give her a straight answer, she made the only move that made sense. She got out.
And things have been chaotic since Jeff Pagliocca became general manager, the Chicago Sky have been in a state of nonstop motion. Some see his moves as bold. Others see them as reckless signs of a franchise in disarray.
One of his biggest decisions came at the 2025 draft. Pagliocca traded the number three pick, which became breakout rookie Sonia Citron, for veteran guard Ariel Atkins. It was sold as a win-now move. In reality, it looked like a team unsure whether it was rebuilding or chasing short-term results.
Then came the coaching switch. After firing Teresa Weatherspoon just one year into her tenure, Pagliocca hired Tyler Marsh, a coach with no professional playing background and no head coaching experience at this level. Marsh stepped into a locker room already strained by inconsistent direction and uneven expectations. In hindsight, the Sky could have given Weatherspoon another season to build around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. From abrupt trades to rapid-fire coaching changes, the Sky have become a franchise defined by instability. There is no long-term vision, only reaction. And around the league, players have noticed.
Even With Sky Crumbling, Angel Reese Is Thriving In A New Role
Angel Reese had a breakout rookie season. If it had not been the inhuman Caitlin Clark, she would have easily gotten the Rookie of the Year. She was the whole reason Chicago was competing for a playoff spot. But accusations of her being just a player with a one-dimensional playing style grew. And Reese decided to change that this season, and her coach, Tyler Marsh, is helping her.
Marsh asked the second-year player to be more of a “point forward.” Reese had been working to become an all-around player from the word go. She worked on her outside shot and passing. Marsh tried to get her more on the ball. It did not start well, as she slumped in her first 7 games, averaging 9.14 points per game. She was still crashing the boards like usual, but her shot was struggling, and she was fumbling the ball more than 3 times per game. Reese has evolved ever since and is having a golden run in her last 9 games, with double-doubles in each.
“The versatility is definitely something I saw coming into the season,” Marsh said. “There are different ways I felt she could be effective, in addition to rebounding and being low post, and I think she’s showed this versatility as this year has gone on.”
She’s dishing out 3.8 assists per game, nearly double her average from last season, with four or more assists in six of her last nine outings. Against Connecticut, she notched the first triple-double of her WNBA career, dropping 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. She’s also expanding her range, already taking 19 threes and making four, more than she did all of last year. While her turnovers have increased, it’s because she is on the ball more than she was last year.
Her physicality helps make space, and her passing is also good enough to create clean looks. It explores a different dimension to her game than a conventional coach would have. They can explore this style of play with Reese because they have another force in the paint in Kamilla Cardoso. When grabbing offensive rebounds, she is at the forefront, getting 11.7 percent of those, which is 7th in the league. She still remains a work in progress, but her frame gives her a head start over many.
While the Chicago Sky spiral off the court, Angel Reese is rising on it. She’s evolving into a true leader, expanding her game, lifting her team, and showing the kind of direction the front office still lacks. If the Sky can stabilize around her, she might just be the cornerstone they need to rebuild for real.
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