The Sky will play their home games in the new South Loop arena starting with the 2018 season.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority voted Tuesday to approve a five-year agreement that brings the Sky from Allstate Arena in Rosemont to the new Wintrust Arena, located near McCormick Place.
The Sky will play all 17 home games at the arena.
Wintrust Arena marks the third home for the WNBA franchise in its 12-year history. The Sky played their first four seasons at the UIC Pavillion before moving to Rosemont in 2010.
“This move by the Chicago Sky will mean jobs and economic opportunities in Bronzeville and across our neighborhoods,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “On behalf of basketball fans across the city, we want to welcome the Chicago Sky to their new home right here in Chicago.”
The 10,387-seat Wintrust Arena is scheduled to open in September, with the DePaul men’s and women’s basketball teams as its anchor tenants.
The Blue Demons made a similar move, leaving Allstate Arena after the 2016-17 season to play in the South Loop. DePaul is expected to host more than 20 games, graduations and other university functions at the new arena.
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