One day after the Washington Mystics announced they would move four home games to larger venues for the 2025 season, another WNBA team — the Chicago Sky — said they will move two of its home contests, both against the Indiana Fever, to the United Center.
The games — scheduled for June 7 and July 27 (previously July 26) — will mark the first-ever WNBA contests at United Center, which has a capacity of over 20,000 fans for basketball. The venue hosts the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, while the Sky play home games at Wintrust Arena, which seats 10,000.
Chicago, featuring Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Courtney Vandersloot and more, could break the franchise’s single-game attendance record of 16,444 fans, set when the team played at Allstate Arena in 2016. The United Center is likely to draw a sizable crowd when the Fever and star guard Caitlin Clark come to town.
The Fever and Sky faced each other four times in 2024, which pitted star rookies Clark and Reese against each other for the first time as pros. The rivals faced each other regularly in college, including famous clashes in the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Tournaments.
In the WNBA, Clark’s Fever won three of last year’s matchups, and she averaged 20.5 points in the contests.
“Given the explosive growth in the WNBA, we now have a first-ever opportunity to invite more fans to experience this matchup at a larger venue of the United Center,” Sky president and CEO Adam Fox said in a release. “Chicago Sky fans have consistently shown up for the team and the city, and we want to reward their passion and dedication by bringing this excitement to an expanded capacity. We know Skytown will help us create a special environment at the United Center this summer.”
The Fever have had multiple games moved to larger arenas, including two games against the Mystics to be played in Baltimore during the 2025 season.
The Sky and Fever are also slated for three other matchups, hosted by Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, during the regular season. Tickets for the matchups between the two teams in Chicago go on sale March 11.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, WNBA, Sports Business
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