Reaching for the Sky in 2022

The last time we saw the Chicago Sky, they were dancing on stage at Pritzker Pavilion and celebrating the 2021 WNBA championship. Tonight, they start the journey to defend that championship.

• The Sky take on the Los Angeles Sparks tonight at Wintrust Arena at 7pm.

Driving the news: The Sky snuck up on the league last year as a .500 regular-season team that was an underdog in almost every playoff round. But this year, they will be on every team's radar.

• "I don't think we were good last year," star forward Candace Parker told the Tribune. "We played well in the playoffs, but I don't think as a whole we can say we had a good season."

Who's back: Guards Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley, plus Finals MVP Kahleah Copper signed a two-year contract extension.

• Copper is currently playing in Spain and will join the team in a few weeks.

The intrigue: Despite losing starters Stefanie Dolson (center) and Diamond DeShields (guard), The Sky had one of the best offseasons in the entire WNBA.

• They signed forward Emma Meesseman from the Mystics. The Belgian superstar is a former Finals MVP and has dominated the preseason.

• They also traded for another Belgian, Indiana Fever guard Julie Allemand. She is still playing in France and hasn't played in the WNBA since 2020 but is expected to contribute big minutes.

Fun facts: Wintrust Arena will host the WNBA All-Star game this summer.

• The Sky's practice facility in Deerfield got a recent upgrade.
• Chicago rapper Sasha Go Hard is performing for tonight's halftime show. Sasha did the theme song for HBO's "South Side."