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Ariel Atkins saw something special in the Chicago Sky. So much so that she decided to leave the only team she ever knew, the Washington Mystics.
Over in D.C., she made a name for herself. Atkins was a two-time All-Star, an All-Rookie selection in 2018, and in 2019, she played a decent role in helping the Mystics win a WNBA title.
She was also a big-time playoff performer. Outside of that championship run, she averaged no less than 13 points a night in the postseason.
When she inked her name on the dotted line, the Sky had all the ancillary pieces in place, but needless to say, it’s been a dumpster fire.
The Sky, nearly 40 games into the season, still haven’t won double-digit games. Atkins, while shaking her head, isn’t proud of how everything has played out. But just because the season has gone up in flames, it doesn’t mean all of their goals are off the table.
For Atkins, she has at least one objective left that she wants to get checked off.
“Our goal is to build a foundation for what we want to be and who we want to be,” Atkins told Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.
That foundation, despite the losses, is being built on solid ground.
Angel Reese was selected to her second consecutive All-Star squad and is currently leading the league in rebounding. Kamilla Cardoso is one of the best young bigs in the league and routinely dominates on the inside. The rest of the team, however, may need a little fine-tuning in the offseason.
Atkins will have some options once the year comes to an end. She’s set to become a free agent, and teams figure to be lining up around the block to sign her away.
When the time comes, Atkins will deal with her impending future. For now, though, she’s focusing on the here and now. And while the Sky have little to fight for, Atkins believes they shouldn’t go out with a whimper.
“We want to walk out of the season with dignity, knowing that we put our all into this.”
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