Chicago Sky's $38M practice facility behind schedule as WNBA booms
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Sky's Angel Reese celebrates after a recent win. Photo: Daniel Bartel/Getty Images
The WNBA is celebrating the halfway mark of the 2025 season this weekend in Indianapolis, but looming labor issues could dampen spirits.
The big picture: The WNBA is the hottest brand in pro sports. Owners who in the early aughts struggled to find investors for their distressed assets are now clamoring for a piece of a rapidly expanding pie.
Driving the news: This weekend's All-Star Game will feature Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark — one of the biggest reasons for the league's surging popularity — captaining a team on her home court.
- However, she won't play in the actual game due to injury.
The latest: Ownership groups in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia each ponied up $250 million to secure expansion teams announced last month, record-breaking sums that speak to the explosive growth of a league that was once a backwater and a laughingstock.
Reality check: One small problem, though. The players' union contract is up after the season, and it's demanding steep increases in player salaries and benefits. The league owners haven't signaled interest in radically changing the contract terms, setting up what could be a work stoppage in November.
Zoom out: Even though the league has become successful, players are woefully underpaid compared to their NBA counterparts. Many of them play in Europe or Asia in the offseason to make more money.
- Earlier this year, Sky star Angel Reese complained that her WNBA salary doesn't cover her living expenses. Her four-year deal averages out to about $81,000 a season.
- The union also wants better facilities for the players.
The intrigue: Some cities are doubling down on their investments with ancillary developments like practice facilities specifically for WNBA teams.
- The Indiana Fever are breaking ground this summer on a three-story, $78 million training facility in downtown Indianapolis, while the new Detroit team is planning a riverfront practice site.
Yes, but: What about Chicago? The Sky's long-promised new state-of-the-art $38 million practice facility has faced delays.
- While other cities are adding WNBA facilities to their downtown economic plans, the Sky's new complex is in the industrial suburb of Bedford Park, south of Midway Airport.
- It is reportedly going to be ready for the 2026 season.
- The Sky play games at the Wintrust Arena near McCormick Place.