NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Sky just keep winning.
The WNBA announced on Monday that Sky GM James Wade has been named the 2022 Executive of the Year. This is Wade’s first time winning the award.
The decision comes one season after Wade – who also serves as the team’s head coach – helped lead the franchise to its first-ever WNBA Championship. In the offseason after hoisting the trophy, Wade was able to retain Finals MVP Kahleah Copper as well as pivotal role players Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley. He also more than made up for the departure of center Stefanie Dolson with the signing of All-Star Emma Meesseman.
Arguably one of the most impressive addition this season, however, was six-foot-one guard Rebekah Garnder. A 32-year-old rookie, Wade took a chance on the overseas player, and the risk paid off in a big way. She appeared in 35 of the team’s 36 regular season games this season, averaging 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game as a vital role player.
Chicago’s 26 wins this regular season were the most since the franchise came to be in 2006. Since joining the Sky in 2018, Wade has been a fundamental part of the organization’s rapid rise up the ranks, and he’ll now add another prestigious honor next to the Coach of the Year award he took home in 2019.
The Sky will look to move onto the second round of the WNBA Playoffs on Tuesday in a winner-take-all game against the New York Liberty. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. CT in Brooklyn.
