2024-25 Chicago Sky Overseas Preview
Who's playing where, what they're competing for and what leagues should have most of the Sky fans' attention.
The Sky season is in the books, but the non-stop calendar of a WNBA player means many of Chicago’s players will be back in action around the globe before the WNBA playoffs conclude next month. Let’s dive into where everyone who is playing this offseason is suiting up, and what their clubs are competing for over the winter months.
Dana Evans - Beşiktaş (Turkey)
Evans returns for a third season in Istanbul after narrowly losing the EuroCup final to London in 2023-24. After serving as the team’s main offensive hub a season ago to the tune of 22.8 points and 5.9 assist per game, Evans will—once again—be one of Europe’s highest scoring players thanks to a high-usage role under returning coach Aziz Akkaya. Despite Beşiktaş likely being knocked out of the EuroLeague qualification stages later today, the club would still return to the EuroCup—the second tier continental tournament in Europe—again this season. The group stage of that competition is set to kick off October 9th and 10th. By virtue of the team’s strong performances in Europe a season ago, they’ll also be playing in the European Super Cup (a one-game, winner takes all fixture) on October 2nd. Domestically, the second-placed regular-season team from a season ago begin the new league campaign Saturday (9/28)—with a further domestic cup competition for the top 8 teams at the league’s halfway point scheduled to take place in January (Beşiktaş should qualify). In total, they’d then compete for 4 trophies this season after reaching a final and two semi-finals in the three competitions they played in last season.
Lindsay Allen - Botaş (Turkey)
Allen is also returning to her Turkish club (but only for a second season) in Ankara after successfully steering Botaş to the playoffs a season ago. The roster around Allen, who averaged 16 p, 8 a and 5 r per game last season in Turkey, is still taking shape, but at least one semi-familiar name (former Baylor and Dream big Khadijiah Cave) is already confirmed as part of the team’s roster. Botaş did not qualify for European competition; so, their only objective in the early part of the season is the domestic league—with their slate also beginning Saturday 9/28. Qualification for the aforementioned Turkish Cup in January is also a possibility after last season’s eventual eighth-place finish.
Brianna Turner - Adelaide (Australia)
Turner is the last of the Sky players who return to last offseason’s club after their stint in Chicago this summer. A rash of injuries kept Adelaide from reaching the WNBL playoffs a season ago, but their strong finish to the season suggests their fortunes this season could be much better—especially with Atlanta draft pick Isobel Borlase returning to the team after her All-WNBL exploits in 2023-24. Turner, to her credit, was a rock for the team a season ago—even with all of the injury madness around her and Borlase. Turner was a finalist for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, and led the league in both rebounds (13.8) and blocks (2.1) per game last season. Adelaide’s season begins November 2nd.
Isabelle Harrison - Praha (Czechia)
Harrison is not returning to last season’s destination, Athletes Unlimited (at least not yet, she indicated playing there is still a possibility), but she does return to a past overseas stop after playing with the perennial EuroLeague side in 2018-19. And barring an unexpected comeback from Beşiktaş in the qualifiers, it appears that Harrison will be the only Sky player suiting up in this winter’s EuroLeague. During her last stop in Prague, Harrison was part of a Praha team that reached the semifinals of that competition—something they’ve done in 3 of the 4 editions since as well. On top of EuroLeague play (group stage starts 10/9), Praha will also compete to win their domestic league (starts Saturday 9/28) for the 15th season in a row.
Chennedy Carter - Wuhan (China)
Carter returns to a familiar country after excelling in China a season ago but will represent a different team after leading the league in scoring (28.9) during her 14-game stint with Heilongjiang last season. After leaving China in December of last year, Carter also appeared in Turkey for three games with Bursa (a team she had previously represented in ‘22-’23) last spring. I wouldn’t be overly surprised if she had multiple stops again this offseason as in season departures from the WCBA are quite common, and Carter’s strong season in the W should have her services in high demand in Europe as the playoffs approach. For now, the focus is on Wuhan—with the WCBA season likely to begin in mid-October.
Kamilla Cardoso - Shanghai (China)
Cardoso will make her overseas debut in the WCBA with a Shanghai team that qualified for the playoffs a season ago but were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage. Like with Carter, an in-season move to another club for Cardoso wouldn’t register as a huge surprise, but the Brazilian’s rehab from various shoulder issues and Shanghai’s season opener in just under a months’ time are the focus in the short term.
Angel Reese - Unrivaled (USA)
Last but not least is Reese who will make her return from season-ending wrist surgery in the new Unrivaled league—hosted by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league’s overall format and scheduling is still not totally confirmed, but it will be a modified 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 league starting in Miami in January—with the league’s figureheads likely to share more details after the format and schedule whenever their respective playoff runs are complete. In the meantime, Reese’s teammates Elizabeth Williams, Moriah Jefferson and Rachel Banham communicated plans for the core of under contract, US-based players to train together this offseason in their exit interviews—with Reese’s recovery from surgery likely complete sometime in the fall.
In addition to the players above, Banham and Diamond DeShields both indicated that they might play overseas (or, in Banham’s case, in Nashville’s Athletes Unlimited) when they spoke to Marquee Sport’s Karli Bell during exit interviews last week. You can find a full, regularly update schedule of all games involving Sky players and their offseason teams and where to watch them here.