Chicago Sky Odds
Chicago’s WNBA franchise is now in its 18th season in 2023. The Chicago Sky is just two years removed from its 2021 championship season.
And, the team’s fortunes keep improving. Recently, the Sky added six new investors, including Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts.
The WNBA is highly competitive, with fewer than 200 of the best female basketball players in the world competing in the league each year. That makes for an exciting betting product, as every team is capable of winning on a given night.
The Sky team returns to WinTrust Arena in Chicago to play a full season in front of spectators in 2023. The fan interest should grow with seven legal sportsbooks up and running in Illinois.
Our Chicago Sky betting guide has all the information you need.
Chicago Sky odds for 2024
Throughout the summer and into the fall, you can bet on Chicago Sky basketball games. You can find live WNBA odds at the best Illinois sportsbooks, including BetRivers Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Sky futures odds for the WNBA playoffs, finals
The Sky have qualified for the postseason in each of the past four seasons, including its 2021 championship year.
Sky player props and futures
Legal Illinois sports betting apps carry markets on Chicago Sky games, but there’s a lot more you can wager on when it comes to the Sky and the WNBA. Another category is player and team props. Some WNBA prop bets examples for the Chicago Sky include:
- How many points Kahleah Cooper will score in a quarter?
- Will Elizabeth Williams block a shot in the game: yes or no?
- Which team will win the first half?
Those events within a game can be fun wagering. Some bettors also like to get some action on events that take all season to decide, called futures wagers. Again, these can be for individual athletes or entire teams, like:
- Which team will win the WNBA Finals?
- Sky regular-season win total.
- Courtney Williams total rebounds.
- Which player will lead the league in rebounds?
2024 Chicago Sky schedule
The 2023 Chicago Sky schedule is in and here are the dates (all times are CST):
| Date | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 19 | at Minnesota Lynx | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, May 21 | at Phoenix Mercury | 3 p.m. |
| Friday, May 26 | Washington Mystics | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, May 28 | Dallas Wings | 5 p.m. |
| Tuesday, May 30 | at Atlanta Dream | 8 p.m. |
| Friday, June 2 | New York Liberty | 5 p.m. |
| Sunday, June 4 | at New York Liberty | 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, June 6 | Indiana Fever | 7 p.m. |
| Friday, June 9 | at Los Angeles Sparks | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, June 11 | at Las Vegas Aces | 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, June 15 | Indiana Fever | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, June 18 | at Washington Mystics | 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, June 22 | Washington Mystics | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, June 25 | at Connecticut Sun | 12 p.m. |
| Wednesday, June 28 | Los Angeles Sparks | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 2 | Indiana Fever | 3 p.m. |
| Friday, July 7 | Atlanta Dream | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 9 | Atlanta Dream | 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, July 12 | Connecticut Sun | 11 a.m. |
| Thursday, July 20 | at Phoenix Mercury | 9 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 22 | at Seattle Storm | 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, July 25 | Las Vegas Aces | 6 p.m. |
| Friday, July 28 | Seattle Storm | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 30 | Phoenix Mercury | 3 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 4 | at Dallas Wings | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Aug. 6 | Dallas Wings | 3 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Aug. 8 | Minnesota Lynx | 7 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 11 | at New York Liberty | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Aug. 13 | at Washington Mystics | 2 p.m. |
| Friday, Aug. 18 | at Atlanta Dream | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Aug. 20 | Connecticut Sun | 4 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Aug. 22 | Seattle Storm | 7 p.m. |
| Thursday, Aug. 24 | Las Vegas Aces | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Aug. 27 | at Seattle Storm | 5 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Aug. 29 | at Los Angeles Sparks | 9:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 3 | New York Liberty | 2 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Sept. 5 | at Indiana Fever | 6 p.m. |
| Friday, Sept. 8 | Minnesota Lynx | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 10 | at Connecticut Sun | 12 p.m. |
The WNBA has two six-team conferences for scheduling purposes. Chicago is in the Eastern Conference with five other teams. A normal regular season is 36 games, split evenly between away and home contests.
Throughout the regular season, the Sky will play each other team in the league in a home-and-home series. The schedule fills out with another home-and-home with the other five teams in the East and another home-and-home with the two teams in the West whose records from the previous season were most comparable.
The other Eastern Conference teams are:
- Atlanta Dream
- Connecticut Sun
- Indiana Fever
- New York Liberty
- Washington Mystics
Sky recent draft picks
The WNBA has a draft each year to allow teams to pick from the best of the college ranks to add to their rosters. Teams also pull talent from all over the world, however.
With just 12 teams and each team limited to 12 active-roster spots, the competition for these spots is fierce. Just because a player gets drafted does not at all guarantee them a roster spot.
As a matter of fact, there are many examples in the history of the league of teams drafting players just to trade their rights later or keep another team from drafting the player. It’s quite common in this league for a player to be drafted by one team then actually make her WNBA debut with another team as well.
The 2023 draft was on April 11. Chicago traded away its 2023 first round draft pick to the Dallas Wings as part of the 4-team trade to acquire Marina Mabrey.
The Sky ended up taking guard Kayana Traylor from Virginia Tech with the 23rd overall pick in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft. Chicago also drafted forward Kseniya Malashka from Middle Tennessee with the 35th overall pick.
Sky head coach/assistant coaches
The Sky are led by general manager and head coach James Wade.
Here is his staff:
- Assistant Coach: Emre Vatansever
- Assistant Coach: Tonya Edwards
- Assistant Coach: Ann Wauters
- Director of Basketball Operations / Strength and Conditioning Coach: Ann Crosby
In 2023, Wade will be heading into his fifth season at the helm of the Sky. He is the sixth head coach the franchise has had in its history, following predecessors of varying lengths. He was Coach of the Year in 2019.
Where is WinTrust Arena?
The Wintrust Arena is located at the corner of East Cermak Road and Indiana Street. The address is 200 E. Cermak Road, Chicago, IL 60616
From the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94)
Exit at 18th Street. Head east to State Street, turn south onto State Street to Cermak Road.
From the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290)
Exiting on Damen or Ashland Avenue. Heading south to Cermak Road, then traveling east on Cermak Road over to the Wintrust Arena.
Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94)
Exit at 31st Street. Head east to S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Take S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to the McCormick Place Complex. Continue north on King Drive which will turn into Cermak Road leading to the arena.
Stevenson Expressway (I-55),
Exit to southbound Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94). Exit at 31st Street. Head east to S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Take S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to the McCormick Place Complex. Continue north on S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive which will turn into Cermak Road leading to the arena.
Parking
Parking Lot A (2301 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616)
Parking Lot A (8’height clearance) is a six level garage with 2,100 parking spaces located on Martin Luther S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, adjacent to the West Building. Covered walkways from Lot A leading directly into McCormick Place and the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel also provide added convenience. $15 parking in Lot A for Sky games.
Parking Lot B (also known as 31st Street Lot) is an outdoor surface parking lot located at 31st Street near Lake Shore Drive South and Moe Drive. It holds over 1,800 vehicles. The parking rate is a flat fee of $16 per day with no in-and-out privileges.* This parking lot is open throughout event hours. Overnight parking is not available. Parking Lot C (Fort Dearborn Drive, Chicago, IL 60616)
Parking Lot C (6’4″ height clearance) is an underground garage with 1,900 parking spaces and is located on Ft. Dearborn Drive, adjacent to the Lakeside Center. The parking rate is a flat fee of $25 per day with no in-and-out privileges.* This parking lot is open throughout event hours. Overnight parking is not available.
*Credit Cards are accepted at all three lots
Bus Parking/Holding Area
Bus parking is located in Lot B which is located at 3050 South Moe Drive, Chicago, IL 60616.
Metal Detectors
For the safety of every patron, anyone entering Wintrust Arena is subject to search and must walk through a metal detector or be subjected to an electronic-wanded search. Please comply with the Wintrust bag policy to expedite your entry into the arena.
The Chicago Sky have been playing at WinTrust Arena since 2017. The Sky played their first eight seasons at Allstate Arena. Here’s what you need to know about the Sky’s home:
- Owner and Operator: Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
- Capacity: 10,387
- Opening Date: Oct. 14, 2017
- Construction Cost: $173 million
- Also Hosts: DePaul Blue Demons men’s and women’s basketball, concerts
How to watch, live stream Chicago Sky games
Sky fans will be able to watch regular-season games locally on The U, CW26 and Marquee Sports Network. The U and CW26 will broadcast 15 total games across its WCIU platforms and Marquee Sports Network will broadcast and/or stream a total of 28 games this season.
If you aren’t in WCIU’s broadcast area and the game you want to watch isn’t on any of the national channels, the WNBA does have its own streaming service called WNBA League Pass.
Chicago Sky team history
The Sky have had a good amount of success in their decade and a half, including a WNBA championship in 2021.
Michael Alter helped bring an expansion franchise and still serves as the team’s principal owner since 2006. Matthew Knowles, the father of Beyonce Knowles, is among the minority owners, along with Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, Footlocker CEO Mary Dillon and the current chief strategy and impact officer at the Obama Foundation, Tina Tchen.
The first few seasons were rough, but things started to turn around with the drafting of WNBA all-time rebounds leader Sylvia Fowles in 2008 and Elena Delle Donne in 2013. The Sky made the playoffs for the first time in Delle Donne’s rookie season.
Under head coach Pokey Chatman, the Sky would see almost no limit to their ascension in 2014, reaching the Finals for the first time. The Phoenix Mercury swept them, however. That proved to be the high-water mark for the team under Chatman.
The franchise would then go through two rebuilding seasons under Amber Stocks, during which time the organization dealt Delle Donne to the Washington Mystics. The team would use the acquired draft picks to select players like Diamond DeShields and Gabby Williams.
In 2020, the Sky won 20 games and would have reached the WNBA semifinals if not for a last-second half-court buzzer-beater shot by Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby.
In 2021, the Sky were 16-16 in the regular season. They were the 6th seed entering the playoffs, but won won two single-elimination games and a semifinals series against the Connecticut Suns on their way to the Finals. On Oct. 17, 2021, the Sky won their first WNBA Championship after defeating the Phoenix Mercury 3 games to 1. Kahleah Cooper was voted the Finals MVP.
- WNBA Finals Wins: One 2021
- WNBA Finals Appearances: Two, 2014, 2021
- WNBA Playoffs Berths: Eight, 2013-16, 2019-22
Chicago Sky FAQ
Yes. As long as you are at least 21 years or older, physically within the state and are using a sportsbook licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board, yes, it’s perfectly legal to wager on Sky games. Apps available for WNBA betting on Sky games include DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars.
Michael Alter is the principal owner. The minority ownership group includes Michelle Williams, who was part of the musical group Destiny’s Child, and the father of Beyonce Knowles, Mathew Knowles. The team is also owned by Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, Footlocker CEO Mary Dillon and the current chief strategy and impact officer at the Obama Foundation, Tina Tchen.
Yes, in 2021.
No. The law in IL allows for retail sportsbooks inside stadiums but the capacity at WinTrust Arena is not large enough to qualify. That doesn’t mean the Sky can’t partner with a sportsbook for promotional purposes at the games, however.
A few players have to be part of that conversation. They include Elena Delle Donne, Candace Dupree, Sylvia Fowles, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley.