Sun, Sky sound off on WNBA over wild travel arrangements in playoffs
Both the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun are facing some wild travel accommodations during their semifinals series, and Sun coach Curt Miller isn’t having it.
Miller sounded off on the WNBA on Thursday night after they beat the Sky to tie their series 1-1. The Sky, he said, have to take three different commercial flights to get home to Chicago — and the first isn’t leaving until 3:30 a.m. on Friday.
When the Sun fly to Chicago for the third game of the series on Friday, he said they’ll have to take three different planes from two different airports.
“That’s what this league goes through,” Miller said, via the Hartford Courant’s Alexa Philippou. “That’s what these amazing women, the best in the world, go through.”
Sun, Sky faced with wild travel plans
The Sun beat the Sky 79-68 on Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Game 3 of the series is set for Sunday in Chicago, and Game 4 will take place there on Wednesday. If necessary, Game 5 will take place Friday in Connecticut.
Yet, for the Sky to get home to Chicago, Miller said the team will have to take three separate flights home.
Then, in order for his team to get to Chicago on Friday for Sunday’s game, the Sun will have to take three separate planes from two airports.
To clarify, this means, for the Sun, that the Sun's 20+ travel party is spread among those 3 flights at 2 different airports
He's been told that Chicago is on 4— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) October 1, 2021
Wade says that the team/staff will be divided among 3 flights, not 4
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) October 1, 2021
This problem is one the WNBA continues to face. It hasn’t been an issue for NBA teams, which all travel together on a chartered flight. NFL teams, which are far bigger in size, do the same thing.
But, even during the late stages of the postseason, WNBA teams are still flying commercial.
This isn’t a new problem, either. One of the most notable issues came in 2018, when the Las Vegas Aces got stuck after several delays before finally landing in Washington for a game against the Mystics — which was initially supposed to tip off just hours later. The team opted not to play, as they didn’t feel it was safe to do so.
The league said in a statement making the forfeit official that the Aces simply “failed to appear.”
"I remember two years ago, when Las Vegas was involved, they bent over backwards to accommodate them,” Chicago coach James Wade said after Thursday's game.
While it’s not ideal by any means, Sun guard Jasmine Thomas said, at least both teams are going through it.
"I mean it's just the nature of it," Thomas said, via The Athletic. "We wish we could charter [a flight]. I think that's something that's been in conversation for years is being able to do that especially during the playoffs.
"But because we can't, we just got to take it. Both teams are going to go through similar things so it's not something you can really complain about."
