The sixth-seeded Chicago Sky defeated the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury 80-74 in game four of the 2021 WNBA Finals on Oct. 17 to close the series and secure the franchise's first WNBA championship in front of a sellout crowd at Wintrust Arena.
The Skywho trailed by 11 in the fourth quarteralso set a WNBA record for most wins in one postseason, with eight, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Before the 2021 postseason, no team in WNBA history had won the finals after ranking outside of the top two in net rating in the regular season. The Sky, whose 1.5 net rating was the sixth-best in the league, had the lowest net rating of any WNBA champion in the league's 25-year history.
Candace Parkerthe former Naperville Central star and two-time WNBA MVP who signed with her hometown team in the offseasonhad 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Courtney Vandersloot had 10 points and 15 assists, and Kahleah Coppernamed the WNBA Finals MVPalso scored 10.