On July 27th, the Chicago Sky acquired veteran center Erika de Souza from the Atlanta Dream as a part of a three-team deal that involved the Sky sending Sylvia Fowles and a 2016 second-round Draft pick to Minnesota and Minnesota sending forwards Damiris Dantas and Reshanda Gray to Atlanta as well as a first-round pick in the 2016 Draft.
Sky coaches and players are excited about adding de Souza to the roster, as the 6’5” center will provide a presence in the paint that the team was lacking with the absence of Fowles in the lineup.
De Souza will help take some pressure off Elena Delle Donne in the rebounding department, but also defensively, as she can guard both power forwards and centers. De Souza currently ranks eighth in the WNBA in rebounds per game (7.5) and has recorded 14 blocks this season.
De Souza, a native of Brazil, is currently playing her tenth WNBA season. She was a three-time WNBA All-Star (2009, 2013, 2014) with the Atlanta Dream and leaves Atlanta as the franchise’s all-time leader in rebounds, double-doubles and games played. She also has championship experience, as she was a member of Los Angeles Sparks in 2002, when the team won the WNBA Championship.
In addition to her extensive WNBA experience, de Souza is also an Olympian, as she competed in the 2004 and 2012 Olympic games for the Brazilian National Team. She missed the 2008 games due to injury. De Souza helped Brazil to a fourth place finish in the 2004 Olympics. She has also competed in four different FIBA World Championship tournaments for Brazil (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).
As a member of the Sky, de Souza will be reunited with two former teammates. De Souza and Sky center Clarissa Dos Santos are teammates on the Brazilian National Team and played together in the 2012 Olympic games and the 2014 FIBA World Championships. Also, De Souza and Sky guard Tamera Young were teammates on Uninassau/America in Brazil’s Ligade Basquete Feminino (Brazil LBF) for the 2014-15 season.
De Souza and Young competed against Sky teammate Dos Santos all season long in Brazil LBF, as Dos Santos played for rival team Americana. Americana defeated Uninassau/America by two points in the league’s championship game. Dos Santos scored 10 points to lead Americana to the championship, while de Souza recorded 23 points and 18 rebounds and Young added 16 points.
De Souza brings invaluable leadership and championship experience to Chicago. She appears to be the missing piece in the Sky frontcourt, as she provides a unique combination of size, strength and mobility. With her at the center or power forward position, Delle Donne can play more minutes at her natural small forward position, where she has proven to be most effective.
“Erika brings veteran leadership, a versatile skill-set and defensive intensity that will complement our existing core,” said Sky Head Coach and General Manager Pokey Chatman. “Her presence in the paint will be extremely valuable as we enter the second half of the season.”