Chicago Sky to Host Indiana Fever at United Center
For the second consecutive day, a WNBA team has relocated its home games against the Indiana Fever to a much larger venue.
This time, it’s the Chicago Sky—doing so for the first time. (Last season, four teams made similar moves: Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.)
The Sky will play host to the Fever at the United Center for the first-ever WNBA game at the Chicago Bulls’ home on Saturday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET.
The second game has been rescheduled, moving back a day to Sunday, July 27, for a 3 p.m. ET matinee. (The date shift doesn’t significantly impact the Fever, as it remains their only game in a five-day stretch between home matchups.)
Once again, it’s the Caitlin Clark Effect in action.
Expect both games to be televised nationally as well.
Last season, the most-watched WNBA regular-season game was the Fever at Sky on June 23, drawing 2.3 million viewers on ESPN. Two months later, on Aug. 30, their rematch set a new viewership record for ION. It was one of seven ION broadcasts that surpassed an average of one million viewers.
Last June, ahead of Clark and the Fever’s first game in Chicago, she joked, “I saw the ticket prices. Honestly, I’m surprised we’re not playing at the United Center. I thought it would be great for the game and for all the women’s basketball fans in Chicago.”
Outside Wintrust Arena, fans lined up early, eager to watch Clark in her first professional appearance in the city. As an Iowa native, she felt the excitement.
“We were driving by, and there were already so many people lined up outside trying to get in,” Clark recalled. “You could tell how much people in the Midwest love women’s basketball. This matchup has them excited, and you can just feel it from the bus.”
Veteran Pacers beat writer Scott Agness, covering his 13th season, noted that the United Center wasn’t available then—but it is now, and the Sky are making the most of it.
“With the WNBA’s rapid growth, we now have a unique opportunity to welcome more fans by hosting this game at the United Center,” said Sky President and CEO Adam Fox. “Sky fans have always supported this team and city, and we want to reward their passion by expanding the experience.”
This move follows the Washington Mystics’ decision just a day earlier to relocate their Fever games to a venue nearly four times bigger than their home arena.
When the Fever played in Washington last season, they contributed to a WNBA attendance record with 20,711 fans. The Bulls’ official sellout capacity is 20,923, so another record-breaking crowd is likely.
By comparison, Wintrust Arena holds just under 10,000 fans.
Though the Sky and Fever represent two Midwest teams, their matchups have not developed into a true rivalry, despite some attempts to frame it as one since last season.
“I think the only people calling this a rivalry are you guys,” Clark said. “For us, it’s just another basketball game. But if it helps grow the game, that’s great. That’s what should happen—people talking about it.”
Both teams have fresh coaching staffs and are built around young talent. Clark and Angel Reese draw the most attention due to their high-profile status.
Clark dismissed the Rookie of the Year debate late last season, saying team success should be the focus. She received all but one vote, with the lone other vote going to Reese.
The Sky are now led by first-year head coach Tyler Marsh, previously an assistant with the Pacers and Mad Ants. His debut will come in Indianapolis as the Fever host the Sky in the 2025 season opener on Saturday, May 17.
Before that, the Fever will play three exhibition games, including one at the University of Iowa for Clark’s much-anticipated homecoming. Tickets sold out in just 42 minutes on Thursday.
Scott Agness is in his 13th year covering the Indiana Pacers. Read more of his work at FieldhouseFiles.com.
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