The Houston Comets were the first team to win the WNBA championship. They did so three more times afterwards. Some teams in the league, like the Connecticut Sun have never won it before, despite being to the WNBA Finals multiple teams.
The Chicago Sky broke into the league back in 2006 etched its name in WNBA history exactly four years ago (October 17, 2021) by winning their first championship.
A surprisingly playoff team with a .500 record, the Sky ran the table in the WNBA Playoffs during the postseason in 2021. For the first time ever, the Sky became champions of the league.
In the best-of-three series, the Phoenix Mercury were heavily favored. They boasted stars like Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins.
Chicago had a few of their own, including Candace Parker. This marked the first of her two seasons playing for the Sky. Growing up in Naperville, Illinois (a nearby suburb of Chicago), Parker chose to leave the Los Angeles Sparks and play closer to where she lived as a child.
Parker and her teammates rallied in the fourth quarter. Chicago made up the nine point deficit entering game’s final period. The Sky went off for 26 points while holding their opponent to just 11 points. The 15-point swing was enough to seal the victory for Chicago over Phoenix.
Head coach James Wade believed in his team and did not give up. This team had been battle-tested going through tough opponents prior to Phoenix such as the Sun, the Minnesota Lynx, and the Dallas Wings.
Four starters for the Sky scored in double figures, including Kahleah Copper. She, who coincidentally played for the Mercury this season, was named the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP. Parker added 16 points, and Allie Quigley posted a team-high 26 in Game 4.
Courtney Vandersloot played for Chicago during that championship season and returned to the Sky in 2025. Kia Nurse, a teammate of Vandersloot’s this season, was a member of the Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
Along with Nurse, the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham also played for Phoenix in the championship series that year. Dana Evans, who checked in for two minutes in the Game 4 victory, won her second WNBA title this season with the Las Vegas Aces over Copper and the Mercury.
