Parker, who has not played overseas since 2018 and Stefanie Dolson are the two Sky players who will remain stateside. It’s safe to assume close friend and teammate Candace Parker, who is 11th on the league’s all-time assist board, has been in her ear about elevating that aspect of her game. To take her game to the next level, though, she needs to improve as a facilitator. Becky Hammon recognized her for her 2021 performance, calling her outstanding. She played her first game for Perfumerias Avenida in Spain on November 19 and had eight points, two rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes.Ĭopper’s ability to finish at the rim is one aspect of her game that helped earn her Finals MVP honors. She was fifth in assists averaging just 1.8. In her sixth WNBA season, Copper led the Sky in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game and shooting 30.6% from three. That’s major for me, making decisions with the ball.” “I’m trying to consistently shoot the three well. “I’m trying to be a better passer,” WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper said. In total, nine of the Sky’s 11 players are playing overseas in five different countries this offseason. Azurá Stevens also will be playing in Russia for Nika Syktyvkar. Quigley waited nine days after the Sky’s first championship before reporting, and Vandersloot didn’t arrive until mid-November. The trip to Yekaterinburg is about 17 hours, so she really only had about four days to fly back to Phoenix after Game 4, pack and leave for Russia.įor Griner’s Ekat teammates, Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, things were slightly different. Brittney Griner, for example, played her first game for UMMC Ekaterinburg this season five days after the Phoenix Mercury lost to the Sky in the WNBA Finals. Some fly overseas almost immediately after their season concludes. Recovering after a WNBA season is different for every player.

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