Former Chicago Sky Star Sends Strong Message to WNBA in Retirement Announcement
Former Chicago Sky star Allie Quigley has called it quits from the WNBA. On Tuesday, Quigley shared her goodbyes, announcing her retirement from basketball in a lengthy message with The Players Tribune. The 5-foot-10 guard closed with this:
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"Alright, guys……… that's it for me. I guess I didn't pull an Irish goodbye on you after all."
Quigley played 14 seasons in the WNBA after being selected No. 22 overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2008 draft. However, she was waived by the Storm on May 8 and started her career with the Phoenix Mercury three days later. She spent a short period with the Indiana Fever and San Antonio Stars (now known as the Las Vegas Aces) in 2010 and then played one season with the Storm in 2011.
But Quigley is best known for being a Chicago Sky player, having played 10 seasons with the team and winning a WNBA title in 2021.
In her retirement announcement, the three-time All-Star delivered a strong message to the WNBA.
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"And lastly … Thank you to the WNBA...," Quigley added. "There's 'after,; when I was a kid who dreamed of making it to the WNBA. And in that sense, I kind of feel like I'm part of this unique generation of players. Where we're the last generation who can remember a time when there wasn't a W. Or to put it another (better) way: We're the last generation who will ever have to remember a time when there wasn't a W. I'm so proud of that."
Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (22) celebrates with guard Allie Quigley (14).© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
"And I think there's a pretty cool perspective that comes with it — especially when I look back on how far our league has come since then. I see all these great players like Stewie and Sabrina and A'ja now starting to have signature shoes, and I just think back on how exciting it felt when my mom first bought me a pair of Cynthia Coopers in the late '90s. Or I see kids wearing #14 Quigley jerseys at Sky games, and I just think back on how much wearing a WNBA jersey meant to me when I was a kid (one year my friends and I actually all dressed as W players for Halloween — I wore a bright yellow Lisa Leslie #9 Sparks jersey and thought it was so cool). Or I'll watch the Draft now, and see what a huge deal it's turned into, with the Orange Carpet and prime time on ESPN and everything else"
"And then maybe the biggest thing, when I think about how much the W has evolved... I love knowing that these next generations of players are just going to get to play in better and better and better versions of the W."
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Quigley hasn't played in the WNBA since 2022 but continues to have a personal connection to the Sky. She got married to Vandersloot in 2018, who, unfortunately, suffered a torn ACL on Saturday against the Fever. She has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
In Quigley's career, she averaged 10.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. She won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year twice and won four WNBA Three-Point Shootout competitions.
Related: Chicago Sky Make Unfortunate Announcement After Loss to Indiana Fever
Related: WNBA Reacts to Angel Reese's Pregame Outfit for Sky-Fever
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
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