CHICAGO – The Chicago Sky have earned the third and fourth overall selections in the 2018 WNBA Draft at the 2017 WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm.
“With these two prized draft picks, we can add potent impact players to our already talent-rich roster,” said Amber Stocks, Sky General Manager and Head Coach. “We will keep a keen eye on evaluating the upcoming draftees while also assessing the latent potential of these valuable assets.”
The Sky are the fourth team in WNBA history to earn both the third and fourth overall picks (2017 Wings, 2016 Sun, 2002 Mystics)
Since the team’s inception in 2006, the Sky have only had multiple first-round picks in 2007 (third and tenth overall) and 2017 (second and ninth overall), and this marks the first time franchise history in which the Sky have earned two lottery picks. The fourth pick belonged to Chicago, and the third pick was acquired from the Atlanta Dream.
Going into tonight’s lottery, Las Vegas (formerly San Antonio) owned 44.2% of the odds to land the top pick after finishing the past two regular seasons with a combined record of 15-53. Indiana went 26-42 over that same period and owned 27.6% of the odds to take the top pick. Chicago owned 10.4% of the odds after posting a record of 30-38 in 2016 and 2017 but, combined with Atlanta’s 17.8% (29-39 record) ended up with 28.2% of the odds for winning the number one overall pick.
A representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young was in attendance to oversee the lottery process, which established the first four picks of the draft. The lottery format guaranteed that the team with the worst two-year cumulative record would end up with at least the third pick.
The order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the second and third round is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective regular-season records solely from 2017.
The Sky will play the 2018 season at the new Wintrust Arena in Chicago. 2018 Sky Memberships are also available by calling (866) 759-9622 or visit chicagosky.net.
The entire draft lottery order is:
1.Las Vegas
2.Indiana
3.Chicago
4.Chicago
5. Seattle
6. Dallas
7. Washington
8. Phoenix
9. Connecticut
10. New York
11. Los Angeles
12. Minnesota
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About the Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky, led by General Manager & Head Coach, Amber Stocks, are one of twelve teams in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA). The Sky are one of six teams to compete in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference. Since the team’s inception, the Sky have played their home games at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Allstate Arena in Rosemont and Wintrust Arena in Chicago starting with the 2018 season. The regular WNBA season runs from May to September, with the playoffs concluding by the end of September. Don’t miss a minute of the action in 2018. Purchase Sky 2018 Memberships today by calling 866.SKY.WNBA or visit www.chicagosky.net.
Interim Media Contact
Jada Peterson
Executive Director of Integrated Marketing
jpeterson@chicagosky.net