At Chicago Sky shootarounds and practices, it’s hard to miss Jacy Sheldon. With her long blond ponytail trailing behind her, wearing bright pink shoes, Sheldon is a ball of positivity. She runs to get in position for shooting drills, post-practice talks and half-court shot contests.
That relentless joy in playing basketball is as much a part of Sheldon’s game as is her corner three. The Sky wanted her to be a part of a rebuild that saw several new faces arrive in Chicago.
Sheldon was one of the defensive-minded players who were brought in.
“[Sky coach Tyler Marsh] wanted to play fast on both ends of the floor, obviously defensively, wanted to be really aggressive, and he’s got killers on both sides of the floor,” Sheldon said to The IX Sports.
Her flexibility in what position she played made her a good fit in Chicago. That flexibility became more important as the Sky started the season with injuries to guards DiJonai Carrington and Courtney Vandersloot. Rookie guard Gabriela Jaquez is set to miss multiple games with a knee injury, and the Sky need Sheldon in different roles.
“I’ve been in the one, two and three positions in this league. I’ve guarded one, two, and three, and played one, two, and three, so I’m fortunate enough to be pretty comfortable in all those positions,” Sheldon said. “So, when I heard they want to be on the wing, I was really excited, and then guarding the one through three as well. That was something I was really excited to get back to. If they need me to play the one, I’ll be there to play the one. It’s whatever they need me to do for this team to win.”
She has started every game so far in Chicago this season. The team is 3-4. In all three games that they have won, Sheldon has scored in double digits and shot at .429 or above. In the four losses, she has struggled to find her shot.
In those games, Sheldon tries to lean on her defensive prowess to help power the offensive side of the game.
“I think my rookie year was when I figured out where I could find my groove on the floor defensively. When things aren’t going well offensively, you can always control the defensive end. So, I think that’s kind of where it stuck for me,” she said.
She wants to get better at facilitating scoring, as well, as the season goes on.
“I [want to be] someone who can continue to improve on both ends of the floor, I like to get my teammates involved. I need to start being more aggressive on the offensive end,” she said.
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Sheldon’s hoping she has found a home in Chicago. She was drafted by the Dallas Wings with the fifth overall pick in 2024. Before the 2025 season began, she was traded to the Connecticut Sun, then was traded to Washington in August of 2025.
During the whirlwind free agency period before the start of the current season, Sheldon was traded again. This time, she found herself in Chicago. This is the closest she’s been in her WNBA career to her family in Dublin, Ohio.
“I’ve learned a lot at every place that I’ve been able to play out and been fortunate enough to play at, but more than anything, I think it’s just getting the opportunity to play with all these organizations,” Sheldon said. “Obviously, I hope I stay in Chicago for a while now, but I look at every move as a new opportunity, and we get to play in the best league in the world, right? Not a lot of people get to do that, so just keeping the right mindset through all those moves, I’d say, is the biggest part.”