Last Thursday, September 26th, the Chicago Sky made a surprising move. After finishing with a 13-27 record, the Sky reportedly parted ways with Teresa Weatherspoon after less than a year of hiring her. “You didn’t deserve this, but I can’t thank you enough,” said a “heartbroken” Angel Reese in her X post. But things are looking up on another side as the Sky is finally receiving some positive news.

According to a report unveiled by an X user, the Chicago Sky will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony with selected executives, staff, and players next Wednesday. It will be a big day for the Sky, as it marks the beginning of work on a brand-new practice facility for the team. “This has been a promise we made to our players, to our fans, to the city, to really deliver on this for our players,” shared Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson in an interview with Marquee Sports Network.

Kahleah Copper, the former Sky star, had previously expressed her wish for the franchise’s enthusiasm in the same regard. It just wasn’t the satisfactory sight for her to see other teams invest in facilities while none really came from the Sky. “I think it’s important to invest in women. Invest in women and you see the results that come out of it… So, seeing those plans and seeing what’s in the works, I’m excited to be able to be there,” she had said via ESPN over Pheonix Mercury’s plans to build a practice facility and headquarters in downtown Phoenix.

Though she isn’t there to witness the progress with the Sky team anymore, it is sure a win on a wider view.

The facility, located on the Southwest Side of the city, 20 minutes away from Wintrust Arena, is expected to be completed by December 2025. However, it will be ready for use only in the 2026 season. “We wanted to be close to where we play at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop and also near some of the neighborhoods where our fanbase comes from: the South and West Sides. That’s really important to us,” added Rawlinson.

Currently, the Sky’s practice sessions are conducted at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, which is a park district facility.

With the new facility, the Sky’s set of advantages will change

The new practice facility will allow the Sky to house players in the city, closer to downtown. This will ease travel for players, team personnel, and coaches. The Obama Foundation and YMCA of Chicago have partnered on the project, which will be located near the Wintrust Sports Complex, and it will feature state-of-the-art amenities.

According to Rawlinson, the facility will “rival any team that’s out there,” with beauty stations, training and recovery rooms, two regulation-sized courts, and much more. But the best part of this initiative is the clinic that will be open to the public as well as the players at the practice facility. For the Sky, the clinic is a way to give back to the city of Chicago.

How will it be used? The Sky have it all planned out. While the facility will be used by the team during the WNBA’s five-month regular season, the rest of the time it will host youth camps, community programming, and other events for season ticket holders. While everything seems promising, it remains to see if Teresa Weatherspoon’s firing prove to be the right move to go with the changes.

Yashika Dutta is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports who actively covers NCAA Division 1 basketball. With more than two years of content creation experience, she showcased her journalistic skills by covering the 2023 Big Ten Volleyball Championships and the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Championships before shifting to the thrilling world of the NBA. As a former state-level basketball player, Yashika brings her dynamic energy to the NBA team.