Crafty vets live to deceive. Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot drives her defender into the paint, fakes a pass down to the baseline to get them out of position, then spins around for an easy bucket over the Dallas Wings on July 2, 2021.

Courtney Vandersloot

Courtney Vandersloot tricks defender with ball fake, pivots to easy bucket

Chicago Sky wing Kahleah Copper likely didn't need another reason to play with even more fire and intensity, but watching her team raise the banner for their 2021 WNBA championship seemed to do just that. Smiling for the camera before the game, Copper went on to make highlights on it shortly thereafter. Running down the lane at breakneck speed, the 2021 Finals MVP creates an outlet for a teammate, catching a pass and then dropping it off the glass for a score. This layup proved important, tying the game with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, on the way to a 95-90 victory. Copper contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in the May 24, 2022 win.

Kahleah Copper

Kahleah Copper drives hard to the hoop for bucket on ring presentation night

Watching a transition play develop from the opposite side of the court is one thing — having the athleticism and timing to shuffle over and stop it is something else entirely. Chicago Sky wing Diamond DeShields hones in on Los Angeles Sparks guard Bria Holmes as she heads straight to the hoop, then leaps up to send her fastbreak out to the baseline on May 30, 2021.

Diamond DeShields

Diamond DeShields bides time in paint to swat driving layup

From the moment she arrived in the WNBA, Sylvia Fowles wasted little time staking her claim as one of the league’s great interior defenders. Matching up in the mid-post against a Los Angeles Sparks legend, the first-year big avoids a “welcome to the WNBA” moment, mirroring her check step-for-step before stretching out and timing up an authoritative block on June 3, 2008. Fowles went on to make the All-Defensive Second Team in her first season with the Chicago Sky.

Sylvia Fowles

Sylvia Fowles swats league legend's shot into the floor

You don’t build out a resume like Candace Parker’s without the ability to do it all on the court. The Chicago Sky star corrals a rebound on one end of the court, quarterbacks a fastbreak, then threads a moving needle to hit Kahleah Copper with a picture-perfect, transition dime so nice you need to see it twice. Parker’s squad would hold on for the June 9, 2021 win over the Indiana Fever.

Candace Parker

Candace Parker threads needle with crosscourt bounce pass assist

With the perimeter well-covered, a determined Kahleah Copper had to work a little harder to tie the game in the closing seconds. The Chicago Sky guard and her teammates kept running into traffic in the form of pesky Indiana Fever defenders, so Copper migrated into the paint to catch a pass from Alanna Smith. With the Sky down two and time running out, Copper muscled her way closer to the basket and converted the game-tying layup over Erica Wheeler with 10 seconds remaining. The two-time All-Star posted 24 points and three assists to help the Sky claim a hard-fought 108-103 overtime win on June 6, 2023. 

Kahleah Copper works off-ball for game-tying bucket vs. Fever

When the defense knows you’re money from downtown, any pump fake is a threat. Chicago Sky rookie Dana Evans  dribbles into position at the top of the arc, loses her defender with a juicy ball fake, then rains down a triple in a June 19, 2021 win over the Connecticut Sun.

Dana Evans

Dana Evans gets defender off feet with pumpfake, drains triple

On a night where she got to the foul line a season-high 14 times, Marina Mabrey was hunting contact. The Chicago Sky guard showcased a smooth low-post presence against the Dallas Wings when she took a dump-off in the paint that instantly turned into an and-1 turnaround jumper. Mabrey made 13 free throws in the contest while also connecting on 8 of her 14 field goals for a game-high 32 points and grabbing five rebounds in Chicago’s 104-96 triumph on August 6, 2023.

Marina Mabrey

Marina Mabrey toys with smaller defender after tough hoop

When the game comes down to a final possession, it always pays to have proven All-Stars with championship pedigree on your side. One of the game's greatest floor generals, Courtney Vandersloot shows that she can put the ball in the net when called on too, steadying herself to drain a game-winning triple to put the Chicago Sky ahead for good. This bucket helped turn a one-point deficit with just seconds remaining into an 88-86 victory over the New York Liberty. Vandersloot was an offensive machine on June 12, 2022, guiding her team with 20 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, two three-pointers, a steal and a block.

Courtney Vandersloot drills game-winning three to sink Liberty

With her hot-shooting Chicago Sky teammates combining for 14 3-pointers, Elizabeth Williams was more than happy to do the dirty work. The nine-year veteran put her flawless defensive anticipation on display against the Dallas Wings as she thwarted Arike Ogunbowale’s driving layup attempt by sliding over from the low block to land an authoritative rejection that careened out of bounds. Williams made her only field-goal attempt for two points while also posting three rebounds, five assists and two blocks in Chicago’s 104-89 victory on August 4, 2023.

Elizabeth Williams

Elizabeth Williams rejects drive attempt out of bounds

Take your eyes off of Diamond DeShields for a second, and there will be a layup going through the net before you've turned your head. Catching the Minnesota Lynx defense off-balanced, DeShields attacks the closeout with a lightning-quick crossover, clearing a path for a smooth floater in the lane over a pair of defenders. The former All-Star ramped up her game in the postseason, needing just five shots for 14 points, three rebounds and two steals, helping guide the Chicago Sky to an 89-76 win in their single-elimination Playoff game on September 26, 2021.

Diamond DeShields breaks into the paint for layup in 2021 Playoffs

Before the Chicago Sky could win in overtime, they had to get there first. Enter Alanna Smith. Making her Top Shot debut in her first season with the Sky, Smith made a strong early impression on her new squad as she cut to the basket on the last play of regulation before catching a perfect bounce pass in stride from Marina Mabrey and converting the last-second layup before time expired. Smith posted 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting to go with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in Chicago’s thrilling 108-103 win over the Indiana Fever on June 6, 2023. 

Alanna Smith

Alanna Smith forces overtime with buzzer-beating layup vs. Fever

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Courtney Vandersloot

Kahleah Copper

Diamond DeShields

Sylvia Fowles

Candace Parker

Kahleah Copper

Dana Evans

Marina Mabrey

Courtney Vandersloot

Elizabeth Williams

Diamond DeShields

Alanna Smith