CHICAGO – It wasn’t a surprise in any way, but the WNBA expansion didn’t include Milwaukee, unfortunately.
In early April, the league approved WNBA expansion teams destined for Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Cleveland will start play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030, which will stretch the league to 18 teams.
That means the Chicago Sky, which celebrated its 20th season last year and will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its 2021 WNBA championship this summer, remains our best bet for in-person professional women’s basketball.
Tom and Karen Duffy, the grandparents of 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Azzi Fudd, attended the home opener for the Sky on May 20 because it was against the Dallas Wings, where Fudd is currently the first player off the bench. The Duffys flew from their home in the Twin Cities to Chicago’s Midway airport and jumped on a commuter train to Wintrust Arena.
The Duffys are very familiar with Wintrust because they watched DePaul college basketball games there when Fudd was at Connecticut.
“It’s a great arena. We love it here,” Karen Duffy said.
“The food is fantastic,” Tom Duffy said. “Transportation is amazing.”
From Milwaukee, it’s an easy drive in less than two hours if you’re willing to travel during non-rush hour times. Otherwise, there are several train options.
Most of the Chicago Sky games are at the fan- and family-friendly Wintrust Arena, where there isn’t a bad seat in the house. But two games should be big enough draws − June 28 vs. the Las Vegas Aces with A’ja Wilson, and Aug. 8 vs. Indiana Fever with Caitlin Clark – to play at the United Center, which is the largest NBA arena by seating capacity.
Dallas beat Chicago, 99-89 in the Sky’s season home opener, thanks in part to a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers by Arike Ogunbowale and assisted by one of the W’s biggest stars, Paige Bueckers.
The Wings had a fair amount of fans in the stands on the road cheering for Bueckers, but Ogunbowale – a 2015 Milwaukee Divine Savior Holy Angels graduate – also had her own fans in Chicago.
“Yeah, you can feel it,” Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said.
One of those “fans” included Niele Ivey, Ogunbowale’s college coach at Notre Dame.
“It was great to see Niele courtside,” Fernandez said. “Niele and I have known each other for a long time and it’s great to have her come out and support Skylar [Diggins], Arike and Jess [Jessica Shepard]. It was great to see her. We worked USA Basketball together for two years, won a gold medal in Columbia and also the Czech Republic.”
The Sky and the Wings battled for the first three quarters until Dallas pulled away convincingly in the fourth. Ogunbowale, now in her eighth year with the Wings, said her leadership has evolved.
“Just trying to lead by example,” Ogunbowale said. “Especially this year, we have a lot of great vets … Paige is young, but she’s a good leader as well. I’m trying to lead by example. Do the little things. I don’t want to slack on defense; be aggressive there. Be aggressive on offense, make the extra pass.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WNBA’s Chicago Sky a worthwhile visit for Wisconsin hoops fans | Lori Nickel
Reporting by Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
