A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and the rest of the WNBA All-Stars wore Griner’s name and her No. 42 on the back of their jerseys for the second half of Team Wilson’s 134-112 victory over Team Stewart. It was another moment in the league’s continued push for Griner’s release from her detention in Russia.
WNBA
The Chicago Police Department did not advise the WNBA to limit outdoor events held Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the league’s all-star game, including a concert by Chicago-native Chance the Rapper, a department spokesperson told WTTW News.
WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained at a Moscow airport, reportedly in mid-February, after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Candace Parker helped the Chicago Sky win the franchise’s first WNBA championship and capped off 2021 by being named The Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year for a second time.
The city is still celebrating the Chicago Sky’s historic win. After the Sky beat the Phoenix Mercury 80 to 74, it was an exciting and significant victory for the city, fans, and women athletes.
A downtown parade and rally are planned for Tuesday to celebrate Chicago’s newest championship sports team: the Chicago Sky.
Courtney Vandersloot added 10 points and 15 assists for the Sky, who won the series 3-1, rallying from a 72-65 deficit with 4:42 left. Chicago scored the next nine points to take a two-point lead on Stefanie Dolson’s layup. She then added another basket to make it 76-72 with 45.8 seconds left.
The Sky dominated on both ends, holding Brittney Griner to just four first half points on 1 of 8 shooting after she scored 29 in the Mercury’s overtime win on Wednesday. Chicago also took Diana Taurasi out of the game, holding her to five points on 1 of 10 shooting.
Chicago backed up its Game 1 win with another strong offensive performance, yet couldn’t finish it off.
The 2021 WNBA Finals is the first for both franchises since the Mercury swept the Sky in 2014.
Eight months after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles’ tendon Alyssa Thomas provided a spark for the Connecticut Sun in a victory over the Chicago Sky.
The two teams have met each other three times during the regular season, with the Wings taking two of those games. We get game-day predictions from the head coaches of women’s basketball at Loyola University and the University of Chicago.
Candace Parker grew up playing video games, and now she’ll be the first female basketball player on the cover of one. The Chicago Sky star will appear on the NBA 2K22 cover for the WNBA 25th Anniversary special edition when it’s released Sept. 10.
The basketball legend is now a coach here in Chicago, and she's helping the Loyola women's basketball team give it their best shot.
Chicago's WNBA Team, The Chicago Sky, compete in the WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury.