Status of Sky's new practice facility remains uncertain

SEATTLE — On Thursday, the Sky experienced the good life — an authentic, top-class professional setting.

For a two-hour practice, they got to bask in provisions reserved for a few franchises. Instead of the fishbowl gym at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, the Sky’s current practice facility, they enjoyed the Storm’s new state-of-the-art Center for Basketball Performance.

The term facility isn’t part of the name because this space warrants something grander.

Beyond the stunning entry decorated with the Storm’s four championship trophies, a wall of basketball shoes and the hardwood from the team’s Climate Pledge Arena court, it’s equipped with two basketball courts, a strength-and-conditioning space, plunge pools, a sauna and even a meditation room.

It also includes an entire workspace for the Storm’s front-office staff, including an in-house broadcasting space.

While the Sky were merely renting it for the day, it offered a glimpse at what will soon be their reality. How soon remains the question.

Sky chairman and co-owner Nadia Rawlinson told the Sun-Times in April that the team hoped to have an announcement before the start of the season. That mark has come and gone with no update from ownership.

But general manager Jeff Pagliocca emphasized that the delay doesn’t indicate where the facility stands on the Sky’s list of priorities.

So is it realistic to think that something could be ready by the beginning of next season?

“That would be the hope and plan because of the impact it could have on free agency,” Pagliocca said in response.

The Storm broke ground on their facility last March and unveiled it in April.

That timeline suggests the Sky won’t have a new facility ready by the start of the 2025 season.

A more realistic expectation might be that its development will be underway by next spring.

This timeline would still offer the Sky more of a selling point in free agency than they had this year.

Pagliocca remained vague about when the team plans to announce its plans for the new facility, saying, “We are still moving in the right direction.”

He did not say whether the Sky have decided on building from the ground up or reconstructing an existing space in Chicago.

“Chicago, as an organization, we kind of hang our hats on just getting it done,” guard Diamond DeShields said. “So whatever the next chapter looks like for us, I think that will continue to carry.

“You gotta have that mindset because if not, you’re going to look around and be like, what the [expletive]?”

DeShields said the franchise has been having conversations about its practice facility since she arrived in Chicago in 2018.

Asked if ownership feels pressure because of the players’ obvious desire for a better practice facility, Pagliocca answered with an emphatic no.

“We want it as bad as they do,” Pagliocca said.

“We understand the importance of it as much as they do.”

This and that

The Sky are still playing with 10 available players but could add to their roster ahead of the game next week against the Dream.

• Angel Reese was fifth in fan voting for the All-Star Game, receiving 381,518 votes. Fever rookie Caitlin Clark finished first with 700,735 votes.

WNBA fan voting increased by 600% from 2023 to 2024.