Chicago Sky crowned WNBA champions for first time
Victory in game 4 of the 2021 Finals on Sunday gave Sky a 3-1 series win over Phoenix Mercury.
Basketball
The Chicago Sky are the new WNBA champions.
They beat Phoenix Mercury 80-74 in game 4 of the finals on Sunday (17th October) to move to 3-1 in the best of five series, and clinch the premier women's basketball title for the first time in their history.
Candace Parker, who adds her second WNBA victory to her two Olympic gold medals, played a vital role in leading the Sky to the title.
The 35-year-old hometown heroine put up 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals to ensure her side overcame the 11 point deficit dogging them heading into the fourth quarter.
"This one is so sweet" said Parker, who had signed to Chicago earlier this year after leaving the Los Angeles Sparks in the off-season. "To do it with this group. I love this group, I love this team. And to do it here at home, it was just supposed to be."
Sky defeat Mercury; Diana Taurasi denied fourth WNBA title
While Parker was championed as Chicago's conqueror on the night, another WNBA heavyweight suffered a bittersweet moment.
Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi - heralded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time for the myriad of awards she has achieved throughout her career - was unable to add the title to an historic summer that saw her win a record-breaking fifth Olympic basketball gold medal.
One of her three championship victories to date came at the expense of the Sky back in 2014. Taurasi, alongside team-mate and fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympian Brittney Griner, comprehensively beat their opponents in a three-game sweep. In 2021, however, it wasn't meant to be for either Taurasi or Griner.
Instead, the WNBA leading point-scorer found herself at the mercy of the Sky's defensive unit.
Taurasi was kept to an eye-watering 32.7 per cent shooting average across the series with Chicago's Kahleah Copper awarded WNBA Finals MVP for her efforts in keeping the renowned scoring superstar at bay.
Fans react to title win
The series victors also had some famous faces lending their support.
Long-time Chicago native Barack Obama congratulated the Sky for bringing Chicago its first basketball championship since Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to their sixth in 1997-1998.
He wrote on the social media site, Twitter:
"Congrats to our new WNBA champions @ChicagoSky! I couldn't be prouder of this team- they worked hard for this moment, and have made our city proud."