The last time Azurá Stevens was in a Chicago Sky uniform, the team had just lost to the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 postseason. The Sky were the defending champions, and were expected to compete again for the title with a stronger roster than the previous season.
Instead, the team struggled to find cohesion in the semifinals and lost to the Sun 3-2. Now, an older and wiser Stevens is back playing for the Sky in the place she calls home. She signed a three-year deal with the Sky for what she called “life-changing money.”
“I grew up here when I was here three years ago,” Stevens said on Monday night. “It truly is home, obviously being one here, and that’s what we’re chasing after this year, too. So it just feels really good to be back.”
Stevens was part of the Sky’s first and only title, won in 2021 alongside Candace Parker, Kahleah Copper, and Courtney Vandersloot. After the 2022 season, Stevens signed with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Last season, she came in second in voting for the league’s Most Improved Award, averaging 12.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Stevens’ 6’6 presence makes her a formidable force in the paint, and the Sky will look for her to team up with Kamilla Cardoso to take advantage of their height.
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Between trades and free agent signings, five of the Sky’s veterans played elsewhere last season. With a short training camp, they will need to work hard to gel quickly. Stevens has played with several of her Sky teammates previously, and she knows she will have to be a leader in helping the team create chemistry.
Stevens played with Skylar Diggins when Stevens was a rookie with the Dallas Wings. While in Chicago, she played with Courtney Vandersloot. She was also Rickea Jackson’s teammate and close friend in Los Angeles. Elizabeth Williams was a senior at Duke when Stevens was a freshman.
“I think it’s just all aligning like the way it’s supposed to. Yeah, I’m kind of a glue player,” Stevens said. “So I’m looking forward to kind of stepping up in leadership in that type of way. And just being whatever this team needs me to be.”
The first time Stevens went through free agency, she met with seven teams. She knew she didn’t want to do that again, and she knew Chicago was at the top of the list.
“I think fit, opportunity, and obviously the contract. I wanted to get paid, so just kind of narrowed my list down in terms of that. My family lives in North Carolina, so being on the West Coast was kind of hard for them,” she said.
“It was kind of a no-brainer. When I looked at the couple teams that I was looking at, I just immediately felt the love and support from Chicago. I’m really familiar with this organization and all that they have to provide. So I saw a lot of great changes, and I wanted to be a part of this, this new belief here.”
Chicago is in the process of building a new practice facility, which is one of the biggest changes for a team that used to practice in a suburban rec center. Another is that players will now be housed more centrally, with easier access to Wintrust Arena, the Sky’s home court, and the team’s temporary downtown practice facilities.
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With those investments and big moves in free agency, expectations are, if you pardon the pun, Sky-high. Chicago finished with a record of 10-34 and didn’t make the postseason. The Sky started free agency by shipping two-time All-Star Angel Reese to Atlanta, a clear sign that things would be different this year.
“It’s a new era here in Chicago, and I think all the OG fans know what Chicago basketball was like. We’re looking to get back to that, and we’re looking to win another championship,” Stevens said. “We’ve done it before, we can do it again. We have all the pieces. We’re going to work hard for it. We have all different types of players that work really well together. So we’re going to work every day, and we’re going to be fighting for that next championship.”