The Chicago Sky’s elimination from the WNBA playoff has raised multiple questions surrounding their veteran core in Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Candace Parker. All three are free agents this offseason, with Parker specifically considering retirement despite a record-setting run to the WNBA semifinals that fell short of helping Chicago repeat as champions.
Vandersloot has spent her entire career in Chicago, while Quigley joined the franchise in 2013 after a trade. The two have become synonymous with the franchise and played a significant role in Chicago winning its first title in 2021. Quigley is reportedly contemplating retirement, while Vandersloot is reportedly thinking about joining Seattle and ending her career close to her hometown of Kent, WA.
“Every single day, we are all committed, 100% invested into winning a championship and making history,” Vandersloot said per ESPN. “We fell short, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. It wasn’t for lack of commitment.”
Sloot said 💪🏼#skytown pic.twitter.com/x7fRG0cTLM
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) September 9, 2022
Quigley followed up by reflecting on her time in Chicago and expressed gratitude to the city and the franchise for helping her find her eventual wife in Vandersloot.
“I never imagined it ending up like this or having the career I had,” Quigley said. “Especially being able to do it in Chicago with my family, meet my wife, it’s unbelievable. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
This was a Vanderquigs-produced bucket#skytown pic.twitter.com/COXCID4U6f
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) September 9, 2022
The offseason has just begun in Chicago, with exit interviews set to begin soon. It remains to be seen what Quigley, Sloot, and Parker will do, but regardless of their decision, their status as franchise legends has been stamped after helping build the Sky franchise into must-see TV for WNBA fans.
