Chicago Sky Retire Allie Quigley’s Jersey


The Chicago Sky retired Allie Quigley’s jersey No. 14 during halftime on Wednesday’s game between the Sky and Dallas Wings.

Quigley’s Professional Career

Quigley was selected No. 22 overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm out of DePaul and spent the first season and a half playing for the Phoenix Mercury. In her letter on Players’ Tribune, she gave credit to Ann Meyers Drysdale, who was the team’s general manager at that time, for giving her an opportunity.

“Thank you to Ann Meyers Drysdale, who was the GM in Phoenix when I was a rookie,” Quigley said. “I averaged seven minutes a game that year, pretty much only playing when we were up 30 or down 30.

“But then in my exit meeting, Ann told me something that blew my mind: “I see you having a 10-to-15 year WNBA career.” When you have a career as long as mine was, you end up having a lot of conversations with a lot of people … but certain conversations you just don’t forget. And it’s hard to convey how much Ann’s words stuck with me. They were like this reminder during those first few years, and anytime I needed them — that I was persevering for a reason. That I was good enough.”

Quigley also had short stints with the San Antonio Silver Stars, Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm from 2010-2011 and was cut by all of the teams. She then found her home with her hometown team, the Chicago Sky, in 2013.

During her tenure with the Sky, Quigley won back-to-back Sixth Woman of the Year awards in 2014 and 2015, won four three-point contests, and participated in the WNBA All-Star game three times. She was also a crucial player in Chicago’s first WNBA Championship run in 2021.

With her contributions to the franchise for ten years, Quigley became the first player in franchise history to have her jersey number retired by the Chicago Sky.

Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Quigley’s Jersey Retirement Ceremony at Halftime

During the halftime ceremony, Quigley’s family, Sky play-by-play announcer Lisa Byington, team owner Michael Alter, and her wife, Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, took the court to honor Quigley’s contributions to the franchise.

There was also the world’s fastest painter, Jessica Haas, who painted a picture of Quigley throughout the ceremony,

Quigley shared a notable memory with her 26-point performance for the Chicago Sky in Game Four of the 2021 WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury. She also recalled the turnaround jumper made by Vandersloot that secured the victory.

Vandersloot mentioned that Quigley made her a better point guard and person during their time as teammates. Earlier this year, the couple celebrated the arrival of their baby girl named Jana.

During Vandersloot’s first season back with Chicago, she surpassed Quigley to become the Sky’s all-time leading scorer in franchise history on May 28. However, her season was cut short due to a torn ACL she suffered on June 7 during a game against the Indiana Fever.

“I have a feeling that Allie (Quigley) is going to come up here after me and say how lucky she is to play for the Chicago Sky, and she’s right,” Vandersloot said. “But I’m gonna take the two minutes that they gave me to talk about how lucky we are, that Allie chose the Chicago Sky.”

After Quigley’s jersey No. 14 was raised to the rafters, the Sky shared messages from her former teammates and coaches.

Chicago Sky’s Win Over Dallas Wings

After the Sky raised Quigley’s jersey numbers into the rafters, Chicago defeated Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, 87-76.

Guard Rebecca Allen scored 27 points off the bench in 25 minutes of action. She said on the broadcast in the postgame that she was channeling Quigley’s shooting performance in honor of her jersey retirement.

“That’s what I said after the game,” Allen said. “I was like, ‘this is definitely because it’s her game tonight.’ But I mean, it’s always fun to hit a couple of shots. I really needed it for myself. But yeah, it’s her night. I’m so glad that we could get a win to celebrate that, too.”

Sky forward Angel Reese had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds against the Wings and was impressive on both ends. Chicago also outscored Dallas in bench points, 41-14, and had a 3-point percentage with 47.6 from the field.

Guard Rachel Banham has been contributing to the Sky’s offense lately with her 3-point shooting and scoring. In the victory, the Sky’s starting shooting guard had 11 points and two 3-pointers made while playing 31 minutes.

“It’s sick,” Banham said. “I’m so happy for her. She’s awesome. I’ve looked up to her since I started playing in the League. She was special on the court. I said this earlier to some of the media, but I hated guarding her. It was dreadful. It was one of the worst people I had to guard. I told her that when I met her that was the first thing I said, because she just was so tough, so quick, never stopped moving.” 

Quigley made a lasting impact on the Chicago Sky with her 3-point shooting and by overcoming adversity. Fans will always remember her contributions to the team now that her jersey number hangs in the rafters of Wintrust Arena.

The Chicago Sky will also retire Candace Parker‘s jersey number on August 25, when they will welcome A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. Parker also had her jersey number retired by the Los Angeles Sparks in June and was a part of the team’s championship alongside Quigley and Vandersloot in 2021.



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