Injured WNBA rookie set to make her return to the court

Chicago Sky guard Gabriella Jaquez will make her return on Sunday afternoon when the Sky visit the Toronto Tempo. Jaquez, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 draft class, has been sidelined since May 23rd with a knee injury.

Jaquez was initially listed as a game-time decision, but was cleared to return to the floor for the first time in more than two weeks.

Gabriella Jaquez has been among the strongest rookies in the draft class

Before going down with injury, Jaquez had established herself as one of the top rookies in the class, averaging 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Her best performance came on May 12th, when she exploded for 20 points and 8 rebounds in a win over the Minnesota Lynx.

She’s the 6th-leading scorer among rookies (tied with Seattle Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson) and averages the most rebounds per game.

The Sky, who began the season 3-1, have lost 5 of their last 6 games and have dropped to 4-6 on the season. In addition to losing Jaquez for the past four contests, the Sky have been without third-year guard Rickea Jackson since May 17th, when she suffered a season-ending ACL tear. On top of that, guards Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington both have yet to make their season debuts.

Despite Jaquez’s return, Sunday’s Sky-Tempo game will still be lacking one of the strongest performers in the rookie class: Kiki Rice. Rice, Jaquez’s former UCLA teammate and 2026 No. 6 overall pick, is expected to be sidelined for the next couple of weeks after she suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain earlier this week.

Sky-Tempo will tip off at 3 pm ET.