Natasha Cloud’s first game with the Chicago Sky offered early flashes of what the team hopes will be more than points and rebounds. In 18 minutes Wednesday, she delivered seven points and four rebounds, capped by a buzzer-beating third-quarter three that exten
When Natasha Cloud checked in Wednesday. the Chicago Sky looked like a team trying to lock into something bigger than the box score.. The seven points and four rebounds she posted in 18 minutes were only the opening note.. What stood out was the way she swung momentum right when the game could’ve slipped.
With the third quarter ending, Cloud hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to pad Chicago’s lead from two to five. A Valkyries announcer called it “a monstrous shot.” It wasn’t just a late bucket. It was the kind of strike that signals a player who changes the temperature of a matchup.
But the Sky’s leadership and fan base are also thinking past that first night.. There hasn’t been the usual runway to build chemistry—no true training camp to bond with the other new players. who were meeting each other for the first time.. That matters, because early games often come with uneven timing, the kind that has nothing to do with talent.. In Cloud’s case, the expectation is that her flow will eventually match the rhythm around her.
Her role, the Sky hope, will evolve into something more specific than production.. The idea is that Cloud becomes the “X. Y and Z” factor—someone who helps define how the team characterizes itself once it starts clicking.. The stakes are heightened by what this franchise is trying to shed: the word “rebuild. ” which Cloud’s arrival is framed as helping the team move beyond.
For fans, there’s also a separate emotional layer to what’s happening on the roster.. The article puts Cloud’s impact in direct comparison terms. saying Chicago might reach a point where people no longer miss Angel Reese the same way they no longer miss Justin Fields.. The message is clear: Cloud isn’t just another signing.. She’s being treated like a missing piece that could shift how the Sky are viewed—and how they feel within their own identity.
That intensity stands in contrast to the long stretch of uncertainty Cloud lived through before arriving in Chicago.. A 30-day “purgatory” in free agency pulled her back into headlines. including questions that framed her status as more problem than pause.. USA Today asked. “Why Is Natasha Cloud Still a WNBA Free Agent?” Yahoo Sports reported. “Unsigned Star Natasha Cloud Breaks Silence On Stressful WNBA Free Agency.” High Post Hoops wrote. “Natasha Cloud Has a WNBA Market Problem — not a political one.” College Sports Network reported on “Blackballing” drama and tied it to a warning from Sue Bird that the WNBA risks losing its identity.
Jonathan Giles. writing for Ebony magazine in an Instagram post. made the comparison that Cloud was likened to a modern-day Colin Kaepernick.. The quote attributed to Giles says, “The WNBA says it’s built on advocacy.. We say we love the idea of athletes having a platform and a voice.. Well . . .. [that’s] right up until they decide to use it.” In an interview shared in the piece. Giles also said about Cloud landing in Chicago. “I think she’s going to find a home [there] with the people of Chicago. I think the people in the city will embrace her. her style of play. her energy and who she is. 100 [%].”
Cloud’s public record during that free-agency window is described as “too loud. ” and the article points to her calling the war between Israel and Hamas “genocide.” It also highlights her advocacy to “Free Palestine. ” her claim that Trump “IS NOT A MAN OF CHRIST. ” and quotes included in the piece about what was described as a bomb threat to Iran directed by Cloud on Easter Sunday.. The article also recounts her role during CBA negotiations. where she told W commissioner (Cathy Engelbert) and NBA commissioner (Adam Silver) to “Do your job.. Negotiate and pay your people, your players, your workers.”
Now. in Chicago. the argument being made is that much of the noise becomes secondary to what she brings on the court—especially the leadership and on-court ability meant to tip the franchise’s directional scale “from hell to epiphany.” The piece emphasizes her history as an elite performer and champion. pointing to her scoring. running a squad from the point position. three all-defense WNBA teams. leading the league in assists. and being the defending champ of the WNBA skills competition.. It also frames her as a plug-and-play presence who impacts teammates and can win over fans as a “most players’ favorite player.”
The deal itself is included as part of the framing: a one-season, half-million-dollar contract worth $555K.
Roster-building has already been underway.. The article calls out that signing Skylar Diggins and adding Rickea Jackson and Azura Stevens was a broader “master plan.” Cloud’s acquisition. it argues. is the “master coup. ” because what she’s able to bring is described as more necessary than game-by-game output: identity.
So far, the early games are being read for signs beyond individual highlights.. The piece says that. after three games. there’s a fight running through the Sky’s play that didn’t exist in recent iterations.. It describes an intentionality and slight urgency—“without desperation or panic”—and a synergy framed as “we gon’ be here” mixed with “we ain’t going’ nowhere.”
It credits early rookie sensation Gabriela Jaquez. and it also references DiJonai Carrington’s presence once she enters the fold. alongside what the piece portrays as Cloud and Diggins solidifying on the court and in the spotlight.. The expectation being voiced is that the team could start losing games “before they are beaten. ” suggesting a shift toward a team that competes with purpose.
At the center of it all is Cloud herself. described as bringing a “get-stuff done approach. ” including what the article calls a “mambacita mentality” that it says seemed to leave when Kahleah Copper exited.. The piece adds that her advocacy and competitive edge are tied to a spirit that “can not be dimmed. diminished or devalued. ” and it treats her impact as a rare duality—competing and completing—delivered through a “joyous uncompromise” that follows her wherever she goes.
Whether the Sky’s early momentum becomes a lasting identity is what Wednesday opened up. But the shot, the leadership, and the roster belief around Cloud are being presented as the reason this might feel different—just “different,” and “the difference.”
Natasha Cloud Chicago Sky WNBA Cathy Engelbert Adam Silver Sue Bird CBA negotiations Gabriela Jaquez DiJonai Carrington Skylar Diggins