Chicago Sky become 2021 WNBA champions

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - The Chicago Sky basketball team beat Phoenix Mercury 3-1 in the final series, becoming the 2021 WNBA champions on Sunday.

The Sky beat the Mercury 80-74 in Chicago's Wintrust Arena to secure their first championship in history.

Chicago shooting guard Allie Quigley scored 26 points to be the highest scorer for her team.

Power forward Candace Parker, who is a former Fenerbahce star, tallied 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for a "double-double."

Parker was an unrestricted free agent in earlier 2021 and chose to play for the Sky for two years.

Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot scored 10 points and produced 15 assists to make a big impact in Sunday's game.

Phoenix center Brittney Griner scored 28 points to be the top scorer of the game, while Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith racked up 16 points each.

Diggins-Smith made eight assists as well.

Meanwhile, Chicago small forward Kahleah Copper, 27, won the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Copper racked up 10 points on Sunday.

She scored 68 points in the four-game final series against the Mercury to average 17 points per game.

Former US President Barack Obama congratulated the 2021 champions.

"Congrats to our new WNBA champs, Chicago Sky! I couldn’t be prouder of this team — they worked hard for this moment, and have made our city proud," Obama said on Twitter.