Sky's new practice facility will help them compete with WNBA's elite (2024)

No one has a better understanding of the Sky’s culture than guard Diamond DeShields, their longest-tenured player.

Drafted by the franchise with the third overall pick in 2018, DeShields was with the Sky before they were title contenders. Alongside former Sky guards Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley, DeShields was part of the team’s championship foundation.

The Sky mentality always has been: Get things done with less. For years, as other franchises made investments, the Sky continued to emphasize that they had “enough.” Last week, the organization took its first major step in doing more than just getting by with the announcement of plans for a $38 million practice facility in partnership with Bedford Park.

“We couldn’t get stuck on what we didn’t have because we just didn’t have it,” DeShields said. “So we always took the optimistic lens and made it work with what we have. Obviously, [the new facility] is way better.”

The Sky will break ground on the 40,000-square-foot facility in the fall. It’s scheduled to be completed by December 2025.

“It’s been a long time coming,” DeShields said.

Loyalty was a key ingredient in the Sky’s 2021 championship run.

In the three short years since, however, a shift has taken place in the WNBA. The league has been divided into haves and have-nots. In an era marked by free agency, with players having more control over their future, the only way to win is to be part of the former category.

The Sky will join the Aces, Storm and Mercury as the only franchises with team-specific practice facilities.

“We know the impact it has when a player has 24/7 access to work on their game,” general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “We’re going to have two big courts, a chef, kitchen, conference rooms and film space all under one roof that’s ours. We know it’s going to help [in free agency], but we also want to continue to improve the player experience.”

There has been a lot of pushback from fans, however, regarding the location of the new facility.

Ownership opted to build on a vacant lot next to Wintrust Sports Complex near Midway Airport instead of a location in the city. Sky operating chairman and co-owner Nadia Rawlinson told the Sun-Times the team’s partnership with Bedford Park included a monetary investment from the village. She declined to share how much Bedford Park contributed to the investment.

Pagliocca defended the location, explaining that it made the most sense for the team’s desired timeline.

“I need to make that drive and see what that commute is going to feel like,” DeShields said. “But, again, you know it’s one of those things that’s out of our control. The location might not be ideal, but we can’t change it.”

Coach Teresa Weatherspoon has, from Day 1, maintained that the Sky “have enough” to win. When the topic of a facility arose, she would emphasize that Sachs Recreation Center — the public rec center where the Sky have practiced since 2011 — has everything they need.

When the Sky trade in their shared practice space for a real pro environment ahead of the 2026 season, Weatherspoon wants her team’s mentality to remain the same.

“Nothing is going to change from what we’ve done [at Sachs] to what we’re going to put out there,” Weatherspoon said. “We’re just excited to be able to have it.”