The Chicago Sky finished last season in a funk: tied for last place in the WNBA at 10-34, at odds with Angel Reese and facing many questions for 2026. Something had to change.
First, they traded Reese to Atlanta for two future first-round draft picks. Then they brought in veterans like Skylar Diggins and Natasha Cloud .
And finally, they aimed to improved their defense after finishing the 2025 campaign last in defensive rating (111.9). So far, the changes are working -- the 3-1 Sky move into the top five of this week's ESPN Power Rankings.
But on Tuesday the Sky announced that forward Rickea Jackson , who injured her left knee in Sunday's 86-79 victory at Minnesota, will be out the rest of the season with a torn ACL, a huge blow to Chicago. The Sky obtained Jackson, 25, from Los Angeles in a trade for guard Ariel Atkins on April 12.
The No. 4 pick in 2024, Jackson averaged 18.0 points and 4.0 rebounds over her first four games with the Sky.
There had been a lot of excitement about how well she fit into this team. The Sky are also without Diggins, Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington , plus forward/center Azura Stevens due to injuries.
Even without Jackson for the majority of Sunday's win, every remaining Sky player contributed to the win. This year's No.
5 draft pick Gabriela Jaquez had 20 points and 8 rebounds, while center Kamilla Cardoso had 11 and 12. Cloud, who joined just before the season started, had 11 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
We're still early in the season, but the Sky have already made a 180-degree turn in defensive rating: They sit first overall at 99.4. Their strong start has been the exact opposite of how poorly the 2025 season ended.
But how long Chicago can sustain success obviously will be impacted by the injuries. 1.
New York Liberty (3-1) Previous ranking: 1 Next seven days: vs. GS (May 21), vs.
DAL (May 24), vs. POR (May 25) The Liberty split games in Portland last week, falling 98-96 Tuesday and winning 100-82 Thursday.
They had 32 assists in Thursday's victory, with a career-high 11 from Marine Johannes . Now the Liberty settle in for a seven-game homestand that takes them through the first week of June.
They'll hope guard Sabrina Ionescu and forward Satou Sabally return soon from injuries. 2.
Las Vegas Aces (4-1) Previous ranking: 6 Next seven days: vs. LA (May 23) The Aces have already put their opening-day loss behind them.
They won two games at Connecticut over this past week, 98-69 and 101-94, with center A'ja Wilson scoring 45 points in the latter. Sunday's 85-84 win at Atlanta got tight late thanks to a big run by the Dream, but guard Chelsea Gray made the winning jump shot and then got a steal to seal the victory for Las Vegas.
In their only game this week, the Aces will raise their 2025 championship banner at Michelob Ultra Arena. 3.
Atlanta Dream (2-1) Previous ranking: 5 Next seven days: vs. DAL (May 22), vs.
PHO (May 24) The Dream won 77-72 at Dallas on Tuesday and then almost pulled off a big comeback in the closing minutes of their home opener Sunday against Las Vegas. That 85-84 loss came without star guard Rhyne Howard (concussion protocol), plus forward Brionna Jones (knee) has yet to make her debut this season for Atlanta.
Allisha Gray is averaging 25.0 PPG and 7.0 RPG so far. 4.
Chicago Sky (3-1) Previous ranking: 7 Next seven days: vs. DAL (May 20), vs.
MIN (May 23) The Sky won 69-63 at Golden State on Wednesday, then fell 91-83 at Phoenix on Friday. Jackson had a combined 47 points in those games, then 6 in 11 minutes of playing time in Sunday's 86-79 win over Minnesota before she was injured.
Jackson was going to be a large part of Chicago's offense, which now must be made up by others. Guard Jacy Sheldon is on her fourth team at the start of her third WNBA season and hopes this is the right fit; she's averaging 10.8 points and 2.0 steals so far.
After opening with four straight road games, the Sky finally have their home opener Wednesday when they host Dallas; five of their next six games are in Chicago. 5.
Minnesota Lynx (2-2) Previous ranking: 9 Next seven days: vs. TOR (May 21), @ CHI (May 23) Just last week , we highlighted Emma Cechova -- a 21-year-old rookie from the Czech Republic -- as a player to watch.
She had 11 points and 6 rebounds in her very next game, an 88-84 victory at Phoenix last Tuesday, but suffered an ACL injury two days later during a 90-86 win at Dallas that will sideline her for the rest of the season. With Napheesa Collier and Do