Angel Reese handed major boost as Sky set to make $60 million WNBA record
Angel Reese will soon be honing her craft in one of the WNBA’s best facilities.
The Chicago Sky unveiled their plans for a brand new state-of-the-art practice facility back in July 2024.
“When we set out to do this, we committed to building a home that was worthy of our players, our fans and our city,” Nadia Rawlinson, Chicago Sky Co-Owner and Operating Chairman said back in September 2025.
“This facility represents the investment, belief and progress, investment in the growth of women’s sports overall, a belief in the talent and potential that we have in the Chicago Sky and the progress towards creating infrastructure that fuels championships.”
Fast-forward to February 2026, and the $60 million project is close to being complete, just in time for the start of a new WNBA season, where the Sky will hope to better their 10-34 record, despite Reese’s superb individual campaign (14.7 PPG, 12.6 REB, 3.7 AST, 1.5 STL).
Although the project had an initial completion date of December 2025, with torrid weather in the Windy City over the winter months, there were some delays with a newly revised opening date of late spring.
“A harsh winter slowed progress, but we still expect the practice facility to be operational by late spring,” CEO Adam Fox said early in February.
Sky is the limit on pro women’s sports facilities
According to Sports Business Journal, the facility includes two full-sized basketball courts, a weight room, performance and recovery rooms – including hot and cold tubs, private and secured parking, a sauna, and an infared room.
There are also wellness, massage and meditation rooms, as well as a doctor’s office and a mother’s and family room.
Furthermore, the Skytown HQ will also have a players’ lounge, a kitchen that comes with a full-time chef on hand, a high-tech film room, and the addition of a content creation studio and beauty stations – perfect for players like that of Reese, who has a huge social media following.
“This now, especially for the WNBA, is table stakes,” Rawlinson told SBJ in February 2026. “What once was sufficient has now become ho-hum, so let’s figure out how we can stay ahead of the curve for the benefit of players.
“That was the predicate for expanding these conversations; what else can we add, how do we make this even better than what we initially imagined?”
Originally, the Sky had planned to build their facility over 52,000 square feet, with an estimated cost of $38 million.
However, the costs grew to $60 million – most of which is being paid for by the village of Bedford Park after the Sky signed a 30-year ground lease to use the facility – as the organization opted to expand the project to cover almost 80,000 square feet.
“We joined a project already in process, and as we had more time to think about what we really needed, we realized we needed to substantially rethink and redesign it,” Sky majority owner Michael Alter said.
Chicago’s practice facility will become the largest in the WNBA, that is until 2027, when the Indiana Fever‘s new 108,000 square foot facility, which will house Caitlin Clark, will open.
A number of other WNBA teams have also followed suit, with at least eight training facilities that have been specifically intended for women’s pro sports having been announced, broken ground, or opened during the last two years.
For example, Paige Bueckers’ Dallas Wings and one of the WNBA’s newest expansion teams in the Portland Thorns have announced their plans for brand new, state-of-the-art facilities to be built.
Similarly, the Toronto Tempo – who will make their debut in the 2026 season – are also rumored to be building a dedicated facility, though will spend their inaugural season at least, using the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport in the interim.
The Phoenix Mercury and Golden State Valkyries, have already seen their WNBA-dedicated performance centers open, as have National Women’s Soccer League side Angel City FC, as the meteoric rise of women’s sports all over the globe continues.
CBA negotiations continue
Improved practice facilities are part of the ongoing negotiations over the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The WNBA and the WNBPA have been locked in negotiations over a new CBA for the best part of 16 months.
As it stands, the two parties are at a standstill, which is now posing a serious threat to the 2026 season with training camp slated to commence on April 19.
But the WNBA and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert – who has been at the centre of the disagreements of late – have set a hard deadline of March 10 as for the schedule not to be impacted, per ESPN.
The Players’ Association is reportedly planning to meet with leadership to discuss next steps regarding the league’s latest proposal that was submitted on Friday.
“Often, things tend to get done at the 11th hour,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said of the WNBA talks at NBA All-Star Weekend earlier in February.
“We’re getting awfully close to the 11th hour when it comes to bargaining.
“We need to now move towards the next-level sense of urgency and not lose momentum in terms of the amazing amount of progress we’ve seen in women’s basketball.”
The main issue reportedly lies in the two sides not agreeing to the terms of how a new revenue sharing system should work.
On Monday, the union revealed that the WNBA generated enough revenue in the 2025 campaign to trigger revenue sharing with the league’s players.
This $9.25 million from licensing revenue is expected to be divided out among players, with payments being determined based on years played from 2020-2025, with a maximum of $50,000 for each player.
WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner told ESPN’s Katie Barnes regarding this revelation: “This shows our value and how what we’re fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting.”
Stay up to date with the latest from the WNBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
