One week after winning the national championship, the Chicago Sky picked UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez with their fifth overall pick. The 6-foot guard was the second Bruin picked in the top five, behind teammate Lauren Betts, and was part of a historic six-pick draft for UCLA.
In her senior season, Jaquez averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but truly came alive in UCLA’s championship run through the NCAA tournament. She scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the national championship win over South Carolina.
Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said Jaquez was one of his top targets coming into the draft.
“Just the direction we’re going now, she fits in with us. Athletically, how versatile she is, how selfless she is, the culture player that she’s referred to. She’s a high character player from a winning program,” Pagliocca said.
Jaquez is joining a backcourt that has both young talent and All-Star experience. The Sky signed Skylar Diggins over the weekend and re-signed longtime Sky player Courtney Vandersloot. Hailey Van Lith is going into her second season in Chicago, Dijonai Carrington was added during free agency, and Rachel Banham was also signed over the weekend.
Tyler Marsh, the Sky’s coach, said he spoke with UCLA coach Cori Close about what Jaquez brings to every practice and game.
“She’s an incredible teammate,” Marsh said. “All the things that you see on TV is what she assumes each day. So that’s what you hope for in a player, and so someone that can practice the same way that they play on a nightly basis, I think, it’s paramount for a young player, and that’s part of the professionalism approach, as well as it makes it an easier transition for them.”
After she was drafted, Jaquez corroborated Marsh’s evaluation of her, noting that helping create a good culture was an important goal for her.
“Honestly, just the style that I play and my mentality, I think I can play with a lot of teams, and I can fit well with in a lot of systems, and just talking with [the Sky], just wanting to create an amazing team with great culture, and so I’m just excited to be a part of that,” Jaquez said Monday.
Stepping into a team with so many guards will give Jaquez time to find consistency as a shooter. The IX Sports’ assessment of Jaquez pointed out her streakiness and that she fits the role of a three-and-D guard.
Jaquez has played with the Mexican national team and said that her time playing international basketball will help her be ready for the increased physicality she will face in the WNBA.
“I think the physicality in the WNBA is very different than in the NCAA,” she said. “The roughing is also different. But luckily, I’ve had experience playing in FIBA Basketball, playing for Team Mexico, and that has helped me and prepared me a lot.”
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Jaquez wasn’t the only pick for the Sky on Monday night. With the 21st overall pick, the Sky also drafted Latasha Lattimore from Mississippi. The 6-foot-4 forward will add to the Sky’s depth in the frontcourt and is known for her athleticism.
Later, the Sky picked Kentucky guard Tonie Morgan with the 32nd overall pick.
The draft caps off a busy week for the Sky as they rebuild from a disappointing 2025 campaign that ended with a record of 10-34. The Sky first traded away draft picks to keep its players from getting picked in the expansion draft, and then traded two-time All-Star Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream.
In an interesting twist of fate, Chicago gave away their 2026 first-round pick to Minnesota to move up in the draft in 2024 to get Reese. The Lynx used that pick to draft Olivia Miles on Monday night.
Once free agency opened on Saturday, the Sky signed seven-time All-Star Diggins, Azurá Stevens, who won a championship with Chicago in 2021, and Carrington. They traded Ariel Atkins for Rickea Jackson and added Jacy Sheldon via trade in exchange for their 2028 first-round pick.
Chicago also re-signed Vandersloot, a key part of the 2021 championship who missed most of last season with an ACL tear, Elizabeth Wiliams and Banham.
Expectations will be high for Pagliocca, in his third season, and Tyler Marsh, in his second year as the Sky’s head coach. Chicago fans are eager to see the Sky return to the top echelon of the league five years after the team’s only title.