CHICAGO (April 12, 2026) — The Chicago Sky acquired forward Rickea Jackson from the Los Angeles Sparks after coring guard Ariel Atkins and subsequently trading Atkins for Jackson, the team announced today.

“It’s thrilling to acquire one of the great young talents in this league in Jackson,” General Manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “Rickea is only going to continue to ascend, and the organization is excited to witness that growth firsthand.”

Jackson was the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, in the same class as Kamilla Cardoso. In two seasons in the league, Jackson maintains averages of 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 34.7% from three.

She took a step forward last season, jumping her scoring average by 1.3 points. She also maintained the same three-point shooting percentage as her All-Rookie season despite taking 1.8 more attempts per game.

For her efforts in her sophomore year in the WNBA, Jackson earned a vote for WNBA Most Valuable Player (finishing in the top 10).

She played collegiately at Mississippi State and Tennessee. Jackson began her college career at Mississippi State from 2019-22. In three seasons in Starkville, Mississippi, she averaged 16.2 points and 5.3 rebounds. 

Jackson transferred to Tennessee, playing there from 2022-24 and averaging 19.6 points per game, which ranks second all time in program history. She helped lead Tennessee to the Sweet 16 and Round of 32 in back-to-back years.

In all, Jackson averaged 17.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in 127 career collegiate appearances.

The 6-foot-2 forward recently participated in USA Basketball’s Women’s National Team Training Camp in Phoenix. She has extensive experience with USA Basketball, suiting up for the 2023 USA Women's AmeriCup Team and 2019 USA 3x3 Women's U18 National Team, winning silver and gold, respectively.

Jackson is from Royal Oak, Michigan. She was a McDonald’s All-American in high school in 2019.

The Sky originally acquired Atkins in a February 2025 trade. She appeared in 34 games with the Sky, averaging 13.1 points.

Chicago will tip off the 2026 regular season on Saturday, May 9 against the expansion Portland Fire on the road at 8 p.m. CT. Follow @chicagosky on all social media platforms and head to sky.wnba.com for the latest news, content and ticket purchasing. The full 2026 Sky season schedule can be viewed here.

###