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The WNBA has become a question of timelines. Will the season start May 8, as the freshly released schedule says it will? Or will ongoing CBA negotiations push things back?
For the Sky, the biggest timeline question belongs to the men in hard hats: When will their new practice facility in Bedford Park finally open?
At an “enclosure ceremony” this fall, co-owner and operating chairman Nadia Rawlinson said she was confident the building would be ready before the 2026 season.
Which was a nice thing to say at the time.
In reality, one can only be so confident in construction timelines, as the Sky’s own process has shown. The facility was originally slated to be finished by the end of 2025, before expansion plans and weather delays intervened.
Mother Nature keeps having her way with it.
“A harsh winter slowed progress, but we still expect the practice facility to be operational by late spring,” CEO Adam Fox said in a statement this week.
Hear that, Sky fans? Late spring!
So it’s time to put on your meteorologist hats and decide: When does spring end? When the trees finally green? When the park district pools open?
Does anyone know if the groundhog saw his shadow?
Before you strain yourself searching for the answer, here’s a slightly more detailed timeline, courtesy of the Village of Bedford Park.
Mayor David Brady estimated to the Sun-Times that the building could be ready “in some form” by April 16 — just in time for training camp. That’s on the aggressively optimistic end, though. Brady said the building’s official opening is set for June 23, roughly six weeks after the season begins.
But enough about spring.
Let’s return to the reality that the two most important things about the Sky’s new facility — one good and one bad — have not changed since last year.
The good: The facility will exist. It will finally eliminate the long-accepted absurdity of professional athletes practicing in a YMCA. The new, dedicated space will include two courts, a weight room and other amenities, stretching across more than 80,000 square feet, according to Brady — almost double the size the Sky initially announced.
That is unequivocally a win.
The bad: It won’t be available this offseason for free agents to physically tour, unless the season is significantly delayed.
Which is a real shame. The Sky need to take big swings this offseason and add a star to make a real playoff push.
They do have some assets to brag about to free agents. Young talents Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are entering their third seasons. The Sky also hold the No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft, which looks to offer some solid options.
Still, Chicago is a tough sell right now, coming off two consecutive losing seasons and led by an unproven coach. If only they could invite the Brittney Sykeses and Kelsey Mitchells of the world to tour the facility and admire it in all its glory!
Too bad about the weather.
Then again, the Sky have had three years to plan for this moment, and didn’t move fast enough to avoid being at the mercy of Mother Nature. After the Aces started the facilities race in 2023, Sky ownership was still meeting with players about what they wanted their building to look like at the end of 2025.
You snooze, you lose.
And apparently, you miss the window of mild Chicago winters, too.
Despite the harshness of this one, milestones are being reached. The Sun-Times put eyes on the construction site this week, and the men in hard hats were out there, working through the cold.
Brady said a guaranteed maximum price has been agreed upon — though not yet signed — with total costs likely coming in slightly higher than what Fox estimated to the Sun-Times this summer, roughly $46 million.
And despite several construction “screw-ups,” as Brady put it, the village remains committed to the partnership. Bedford Park is making a significant investment, contributing $32 million to the project and retaining ownership of the building.
They continue to want the Sky as tenants. In display of solidarity and solid WNBA vernacular, Brady even shared his hope that the facility will help the Sky “attract free agents.”
Eventually, it might.
For now, Sky fans just need to keep hoping for an early spring.
