The Sky’s Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper celebrate after winning the WNBA championship at Wintrust Arena. | Stacy Revere/Getty Images
As the buzzer sounded, blue and gold confetti blotted out the arena lights, falling to the floor in celebration of the Sky’s first WNBA title after beating the Mercury 80-74.
Tears welled up in Candace Parker’s eyes as her teammate, Courtney Vandersloot sank the final two free-throws of Sunday’s WNBA Finals Game 4.
Parker could taste it.
The WNBA Championship, a hometown championship that she had set out to win when she signed with the Sky eight months ago, was seconds away from being realized.
On the ensuing play, Parker lept to the rim to pull down her 13th rebound and the last of the night before streaking down the sideline, towards her mother, Sara, dribbling out the clock as she went.
As the buzzer sounded, blue and gold confetti blotted out the arena lights, falling to the floor in celebration of the Sky’s first WNBA title, after beating the Mercury 80-74.
“I had flashbacks to high school,” Parker said. “When I first realized we won the state championship. [That moment] was similar.”
Castles were built in the sky when Parker made her hometown return in the Spring, heightening the Sky’s already existing Championship expectations.
But what came next was less compelling and more adverse than anyone could have predicted for this team. The Sky’s season began incredibly low, before being resurrected by a franchise-best win streak.
The highs and lows of the Sky’s 2021 season didn’t end there. In their second-to-last game of the regular season — which they finished 16-16 — the Sky took a 33-point loss to the Las Vegas Aces, prompting a team meeting.
It was at that point the Sky readjusted their focus and commitment to their Championship hopes that had been years in the making.
“We asked each other ‘who are we going to play for?'” Allie Quigley said after her team-high 26-point performance Sunday. “The first thing Candace said was she was going to play for me. In the end, we all said we wanted to play for each other.”
Sunday afternoon, that’s exactly what the Sky did, they played James Wade’s team basketball.
Four players scored in double figures, including Parker who had a double-double with 16 points to go along with her 13 rebounds. Vandersloot finished with a near triple-double, 10 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds. Kahleah Copper, WNBA Finals MVP, added 10 points and two rebounds.
Trust permeated through the Sky, even as they fell to a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter. As Wintrust Arena’s spark began to fade, Parker knocked in a three from the top of the key. When her feet hit returned to the floor, arm still extended in a follow-through, she glanced around the stadium.
It felt like a signal direct from her to the fans that the game was far from over.
“[The second half] was a microcosm of our season,” Wade said. “Where you go down, but you keep pushing.”
Game 4 was physical through all four quarters. The Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner took the court with vengeance in their eyes. It’s what was expected after Diana Taurasi left the media room Friday night yelling, “FIFTY! We can’t be any worse than fifty.”
Griner poured in 28 points on 63.2% shooting. Despite the Sky’s best defensive efforts, they could not take her out of her game.
Even with Griner going off for a near repeat of her Game 2 performance, the Sky knew they would outlast the Mercury, specifically Copper.
“I knew we were going to win this championship yesterday when Allie was the only one in the gym shooting,” Copper said.
Quigley opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-point baskets to bring the Sky within five of the Mercury. Her 11 points in the last 10 minutes of the game invigorated not just her team but the 10,378 fans in attendance.
There is no questioning the role Parker played in bringing the Sky its first WNBA title. She, as her former teammate Lisa Leslie said, may not have played her best year statistically but it was her best leadership performance ever.
But this title truly required every piece of this 2021 Sky puzzle.
The Sky needed Vandersloot’s 11-year loyalty to the organization, Quigley’s sharpshooting and empathetic connection to her teammates, Copper’s fire, Azura Steven’s x-factor abilities and all the individual qualities of every member of the Sky’s bench squad.
They also needed Wade. Years ago, before she was even a member of the team, Parker knew the Sky needed him too.
“Candace told me ‘This dude is special,'” Vandersloot said. “I told Michael Alter ‘Candace Parker said we need to hire this guy.’ Now, she comes to play for him and the first year we win a championship. I don’t think you can write it better than that.”
