Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh reflected on past milestones, including his time at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game as a Toronto Raptors assistant, and his first WNBA All-Star Game in 2022 at Wintrust Arena. Saturday brought another special memory: coaching the Sky in the league’s first game at the United Center.
“Moments like this are special,” Marsh said. “It’s huge for our team, our staff, and our city. To be able to represent Chicago on a night like this — at this venue — means a lot. It’s not something I take lightly.”
Though the Sky suffered a tough 79-52 loss to the Indiana Fever, the night carried more weight than just the final score. The highly anticipated matchup, originally scheduled for the smaller Wintrust Arena, moved to the United Center to accommodate growing fan interest. Despite the absence of Caitlin Clark, who missed her fourth consecutive game due to a quad injury, the event drew a strong crowd of 19,496 — the largest ever for a WNBA game in Chicago.
Fans packed the arena, many wearing Clark jerseys in hopes of seeing the rising star face off against Chicago’s Angel Reese. That individual showdown will have to wait, but the energy in the building underscored the WNBA’s growing momentum.
For comparison, tickets to last season’s matchup between Clark and Reese at Wintrust sold for thousands, and drew big names like Chance the Rapper, Jason Sudeikis, Jalen Brunson, and Hall of Famer Cheryl Swoopes.
Even without Clark on the floor, the historic nature of the night wasn’t lost on players or coaches. The Sky and Fever will return to the United Center on July 27 for another game — a continued sign of progress for the league.
“We keep hitting new milestones,” said Reese. “Women belong on this stage. This should be just the beginning — we want more games in NBA arenas. This is the future.”
The buzz around Reese and Clark has elevated the league to new heights. Their rivalry — which began in college with LSU and Iowa — brought charisma and national attention to women’s basketball, and continues to draw interest in the pros.
But the night wasn’t just about two players. Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, another breakout star, noted how important this moment was for the growth of the sport. “It just shows how far women’s basketball has come,” she said. “It’s inspiring.”
For Fever assistant Austin Kelly, who stepped in for head coach Stephanie White (out for personal reasons), the game carried nostalgic value. “I grew up watching Jordan and Pippen win championships in this building,” Kelly recalled. “I was born in ’89, and those Bulls teams were everything to kids like me.”
Sky player-development coach Aaron Johnson, a Chicago native, had the game marked as a personal milestone. Marsh said Johnson became emotional when it was first announced the team would play at the United Center.
“This was the arena he grew up idolizing,” Marsh said. “He used to sit up in the nosebleeds. Now he’s on the floor, part of it. Moments like that — you really can’t put a price on.”
While the scoreboard may not have favored the Sky, the night itself marked a significant step forward — for the team, for the league, and for the future of women’s sports.
