CHICAGO — In Chicago, basketball is the sport. It’s important. There’s an identity connected with it.
“As much of a tradition of baseball (is) here, as much of a tradition of track, as much as a tradition of football here … basketball kind of cuts through all of those things,” said longtime Chicago sports broadcaster Laurence Holmes. “It’s local. It’s your block. It’s your side of the city.”
We often hear about men’s hoopers from the Chi, but the women have a strong legacy in the city as well. From preps to college to pros. Chicago’s love for those who excel on the hardwood is for everyone, native or not.
This weekend, two of the women who excelled the most, Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne, will take their place among the sport’s greats when they are enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In different ways, both have Chicago to thank for sparking that journey.
After just two days at UConn with coaching legend Geno Auriemma’s program in 2008, Delle Donne made headlines when she decided to leave her scholarship, return home and enroll at the University of Delaware. The decision to walk away from basketball didn’t last long — Delle Donne joined the Blue Hens in 2009.
The Chicago Sky drafted Delle Donne with the second pick in the 2013 draft. Though she wasn’t raised in the area, and her game wasn’t forged in a Chicago park, Delle Donne immediately became a part of the city’s pro basketball story. She embraced the city’s culture right away and was a Michael Jordan fan, siding with the Bulls legend in the GOAT debate. Delle Donne started her career with the Sky and left her mark during her short time with the team.
Before becoming the WNBA’s first player to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 90 percent on free throws with the Washington Mystics, Delle Donne became the first (and only) player in Sky history to win league MVP honors. Despite last suiting up for Chicago a decade ago, she remains the franchise’s all-time leader in scoring average (20.5), player efficiency rating (28.2), 20-point games, 30-point outings and the owner of the Sky’s only two 40-point performances. She also ranks fourth in 3-point percentage (38.1), fifth in points and 10th in rebounds. Chicago posted the WNBA’s fourth-best record during Delle Donne’s four seasons, peaking with its first WNBA Finals appearance in 2014.
“I know it was the first time a lot of girls knew there was a WNBA team in Chicago,” said Karli Bell, a journalist who previously covered the Sky. “I was there for their inaugural season and went to a couple games after that, but (Delle Donne’s first) season is when a lot of people found out that a team existed here.
“Unless you were in the basketball circle, no one knew who or what the Sky was. I remember some people in high school were like ‘Yo, did you know we have a pro women’s team?’ And us in the space knew, but the general sports population didn’t.”
Parker grew up in Naperville, Ill. — about 28 miles southwest of Chicago — and has always made it clear that’s where she’s from. But Chicago loves her like its own. She led Naperville Central to two state titles in 2003 and 2004 and was the first woman to win the McDonald’s All-American slam dunk contest. Parker was named prep player of the year twice by both Gatorade and USA Today. As a teenager, she drew national attention and local admiration. Chicago-area newspapers covered her games and achievements as they had the hoops phenoms before her. Then Parker joined legendary coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee.
“Candace was everything. She had all the tools. She was tall, she was strong, she could shoot, she could dribble,” Holmes said. “So when we would see highlights of her in high school, it was kind of like, man, there’s this young lady out in Naperville that can ball.”
In 2008, as the No. 1 draft pick by the Los Angeles Sparks, Parker became the only player in WNBA history to win MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same year.
After an accomplished stint with the Los Angeles Sparks, she joined the Sky via free agency in 2021, helping them win their first title. In 2022, she recorded the second and third triple-doubles in Sky history en route to All-WNBA first-team honors at the age of 36, leaving her behind only Cynthia Cooper (37 in 2000) as the league’s oldest honoree. Before 2022, no player in league history recorded multiple triple-doubles in a season.
Surviving Chicago basketball gets Parker a level of respect and appreciation that made her signing with the Sky in 2021 something important to the area, even before there was a WNBA championship, the franchise’s only one, to celebrate.
Her presence in Chicago had an impact on youth ball for women. There was a surge in camps and AAU teams in the city. Many local women attribute their love of hoops to Parker. Naperville held tournaments with her name on it, and it was considered a privilege to get an invite.
Parker brought the W national attention. Delle Donne provided the Sky local acclaim.
Delle Donne embodied the post play of the forward position offensively but really played like a stretch three with quick hands on defense. Parker could pull up from anywhere and ran over opponents inside. Her on-court impact was been evident at every level.
But they both brought immense value and versatility in different ways.
Both players independently showed the growth of the forward position and its distinct impact for the women’s game, which has often relied on point guards and bigs. They both embodied the evolution of the forward position by playing anywhere on the floor. That existed in the men’s game thanks to players such as Kevin Garnett, but that shift was delayed in the women’s game because positions were traditionally based on size alone.
Before their careers, forwards were meant to create space, set screens and maybe provide a handful of points off of layups and free throws with the occasional jumper. But Parker and Delle Donne came in and showed they can do all those things, score from anywhere else on the floor and shut down opponents who were driving to the rack.
Look at the league now. The point will always be important, but some of the most impactful players in the game are forwards: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Angel Reese, DeWanna Bonner, Napheesa Collier, Dearica Hamby, Nneka Ogwumike, Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas.
Because of the versatility Parker and Delle Donne showed, the forward position became more valuable as the game progressed. In the years since this weekend’s honorees left the game, players such as Collier, Stewart, and Thomas have drawn comparisons to the former stars. Both Parker and Delle Donne were ahead of their times, especially in the way they were trusted to initiate offense.
In Chicago, there is a respect and appreciation for hoops that is embedded in the city’s sports culture. Though their stints with the Sky were short, Delle Donne and Parker helped restore championship-caliber hoops in the city and ushered in new fans. As they join the greats, they’ll represent all of the people and places they’ve touched, and Chicago is proud to be among them.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Chicago Sky, WNBA, NBA
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