Basketball never stops. This is especially true for WNBA players who often play in overseas leagues during the off-season. This year the Chicago Sky have nine out of a possible eleven players playing overseas. The only two players staying home are veterans Candace Parker and Stefanie Dolson. Here is every Chicago Sky player playing overseas, what team they’re playing for, and what goals/hopes sky town should be looking forward to due to their involvement overseas.
Lexie Brown | Charnay Basket
Lexie Brown is playing for Charnay Basket in France. The team is currently in eleventh place, so there really aren’t any aspirations for hardware. This is a team where Brown can get a lot of play and work on her game. This is great for her because she didn’t play much with the Sky this season.
Kahleah Copper | Perfumeria Avenida
KFC had a phenomenal season. She’s now taking her talents to Spain and is playing with Perfumeria Avenida. They are currently in first place in their league, and Copper just had a spectacular performance in EuroLeague Women. She had 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in Avenida’s narrow defeat against the absolutely stacked UMCC. Kahleah Copper has improved by leaps and bounds the last two seasons, and it’s hard to imagine she has many more ways she can improve. So far, these EuroLeague performances just reaffirm what all of Skytown already knows. Kahleah Copper is a bucket!
Diamond DeShields | Famila Wuber Schio
With Diamond having a disappointing 2021 season, I think some productive minutes at a top European team would do her good. She’ll be able to do just that, Famila Wuber Schio in Italy. The team is top of the Italian league, and she’s currently averaging 23 minutes per game.
Dana Evans | KSC Szekszard
The rookie is in Hungary playing for KSC Szekszard. Since she didn’t get to play much on a championship team in her first year, getting reps in Europe could speed up her development and put her in a better position to contribute to the Sky in 2022.
Ruthy Hebard | Ragusa
Ruthy Hebard had an odd regular season with the Sky. I thought she looked good during the first third of the season, then she fell out of the rotation and never returned to her early season form. Hopefully, some time away from the W and in a different environment does Hebard well. She has the talent and is still very young, so the Sky is the limit. Let’s see if she starts to reach for it in Italy.
Astou Ndour-Fall | Umana Reyer Venezia
The savvy veteran is playing in Italy after a productive sixth season in the WNBA. Umana is playing in EuroLeague Women and just beat Dana Evans’ KSC Szekszard 65- 51. Astou scored 16 points in her 26 minutes of play. Great to see her being productive and contributing to winning basketball in the toughest competition in Europe.
Allie Quigley | UMCC Ekaterinburg
Quigley is who she is. A Chicago Sky legend, WNBA Champion, and one of the best shooters to ever play the game. So what’s she doing playing in Russia? Well, she’s playing with one of the greatest teams ever assembled, competing at a high level, and the pay is pretty good too. Her wife Courtney Vandersloot is also on the team, so I’m sure that helps. For UMCC, Quigley is just as great as she is for Chicago. The team is undefeated, averaging 15 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in EuroLeague. As long as she stays healthy, Quigley will continue to be her legendary self in 2022.
Azura Stevens | Nika Basket
Stevens will be spending the off-season in Russia playing for Nika Basket. The team is competing in EuroCup Women, the competition just below EuroLeague Women, so this is an excellent opportunity for Stevens to get some great reps under respectable competition. Stevens had a solid season with the Sky so, a good stint with Nika Basket could put her in a good position to take another step forward next year in the W.
Courtney Vandersloot | UMCC Ekaterinburg
Last but certainly not least is Courtney Vandersloot. The point god is running the point for UMCC, and I’m sure she’ll dominate whenever she makes her UMCC debut this season. Not much for Chicago Sky fans to look for with Vandersloot’s play overseas. You know how good she is, and you know she’s not going to have a drop-off, just months after her first championship. Like her wife Quigley, as long as Vandersloot is healthy going into the new year, her overseas time will be a success.
Sky in the Chi 