CHICAGO — If there’s one word to describe Chicago Sky rookie Aicha Coulibaly, it’s game. She’s game for any challenge the Sky throw her way.
Sign on as a developmental player? Sure. Step into the main roster when Rickea Jackson tore her ACL? Absolutely. Guard A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas when Azura Stevens had to step away for personal reasons? Let’s go.
“She’s been thrown into the fire, and she’s been willing to accept any role that’s been given to her,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. “The toughness aspect to her, the fearlessness that she has, falls right in line with the other rookies that we have on this team as well.”
That energy was rewarded at the end of June when Coulibaly was given a rest-of-season contract, elevating her from a developmental player. She started off by providing Chicago with a physical presence off the bench, but then was asked to do more on July 22
With Stevens out, it was Coulibaly’s job to handle Wilson on August 1. Standing at 6-foot, Coulibaly gives up size to Wilson, so she had to find other ways to slow her down.
“I just tried to make it tough for her. I know she’s gonna have 30,” Coulibaly said. “Even if she’s gonna score, it’s gonna be the hardest two points she’s gonna get. That’s my mentality. Being defensive minded, get stops for us. I’m a little small at the four, so I’m using my physicality to help me out a little bit.”
Wilson did score 36 points in that game, but it was the game Chicago won thanks to a buzzer beater by another impressive Chicago rookie, Sydney Taylor.
“[Coulibaly] is going after every challenge imaginable. She would never back down. It’s not in her DNA to back down from a challenge,” Jeff Pagliocca, the Sky’s general manager, said. “She creates extra possessions for us. And I think she is still going to be able to impact the game at all times in this league because of the effort and because she can guard multiple positions.”
Offensively, she has work to do. She can be tentative with her shots, and is averaging five points per game. But she scored 13 in the Sky’s August 5 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
“It’s been really fun to watch from day one till now,” Chicago teammate Rachel Banham said after Wednesday’s win. “I’ve been bugging her since day one. I said today, like I’m really proud of you. You played confident. You shot the ball when you needed to, and she’s so strong in the paint.”
Her journey to get to the WNBA hasn’t been easy. Born in Bamako, Mali, Coulibaly discovered basketball on a chance conversation with a friend when she was just 11.
Bored and looking for an activity after school, she noticed her friend wearing a basketball jersey. Coulibally followed her friend to practice and quickly fell in love with the game.
She moved to the U.S. to go to IMG Academy for high school, when she didn’t speak English at all. After high school, she played for Auburn and Texas A&M.
In her final collegiate year, she tore her ACL while playing for the Aggies. The Sky drafted her in 2025, but she had to spend the year rehabilitating her leg. Since she wasn’t still a college student, and she wasn’t yet signed with a WNBA team, she found herself rehabilitating the ACL tear on her own.
“Last year, I was just watching the games on TV, and now playing it is a dream come true. The little girl in me is so happy,” she said.
During that time, she leaned on her husband to help her stay focused on the goal.
“He’s been there for me since day one,” Coulibaly said. “Even when I didn’t believe it, going through my injury, being out for 14 months, trying to find different things, coaches to work me out, doing what I can with the little resources I had before training camp. You know, he’s been the best mental support for me.”
She also stays close to her family. Her sister Mariam plays basketball, while her brother is a soccer player in Dubai. Coulibaly speaks to her mother every day, though she hasn’t been back to Mali since 2023.
Mali has dealt with violence and political insecurity for many years, but she said her home country is so much more than the headlines.
“Mali, my homeland, I love it. The culture is amazing,” she said. “Don’t believe everything that you see on the internet. Honestly, it’s a beautiful country, and I love it.”
Her sister will represent Mali at the upcoming FIBA World Cup, and the decision is still being made if Aicha will join her. This is only the third time Mali has qualified for the women’s World Cup.
But no matter what jersey she puts on, Coulibally does promise one thing: she will make an impact for her team.
“Every time I step on the court, I’m gonna give it my 100 percent. I may not do everything right, This is my first year in the league. Best league in the w just gonna get there. I’m gonna stay grounded, work hard, help my team as much as possible.”
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