After finishing the 2025 WNBA season at the bottom of the pile, the Chicago Sky are off to a red-hot start to their 2026 campaign and are currently tied for second-place in the league with a 3–1 record.
Unfortunately, there's a strong chance that changes very soon.
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On Tuesday, the Sky announced that star forward Rickea Jackson had been diagnosed with a torn left ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. She will have surgery on a date still to be determined.
"We're devastated that Rickea suffered this injury, but we are confident she will make a full recovery," Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. "Rickea was playing at an All-Star and All-Defensive level early in the season. We are certain she was primed for a career year. Our world-class medical staff will work hard with Rickea, who is one of the toughest players in the league, to get her back on the court."
Rickea Jackson underwent an MRI that revealed a left torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an injury she sustained in the May 17 game against Minnesota. Jackson will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season and undergo surgery to repair the injury.
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) May 19, 2026
We’re with you every step… pic.twitter.com/8WauK7o29D
Jackson suffered the injury during Sunday's 86-79 win against the Minnesota Lynx. The 25-year-old was driving toward the basket in the first half when she stopped, moved to plant her feet, and fell to the ground with an apparent knee injury. She was then helped to the locker room and did not return.
Speaking after the game, veteran guard Natasha Cloud—also in her first season with Chicago—criticized the referees for failing to protect Jackson. In the moments right before the injury, a Lynx defender made contact with Jackson, but a foul was not called.
"Their ultimate job is to control and to protect the players in this game," Cloud said. "And I think that this group today failed to do so. They failed to protect Rickea. They failed to control the game. And immediately, right before that, I got popped in the face. ... Didn't get a call, that's cool. I go up to them and say, 'The game is getting a little out of control, you need to control it.' And the next possession, hands all over [Rickea], pushing her back.
"Truthfully, I think it's bulls---. ... I will be damned if a player gets hurt on our team [by] something that was controllable by the referees. That is a part of their job."
Cloud also yelled at the referees right after her teammate's injury and was called for a technical foul.
Jackson had been having a fabulous start to her third year in the league up to this point. After arriving to the Sky via trade, the 6'2" Tennessee export entered Sunday's game as Chicago's leading scorer with an average of 22 points per game. She'll now finish her 2026 campaign with a stat line of 18 points/4.8 rebounds/2.0 assists.
The Sparks selected Jackson with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. She played a total of 78 games for L.A. (72 starts), and averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in her two seasons with the team.
In addition to Jackson, Chicago is dealing with injuries to Azura Stevens (knee), Courtney Vandersloot (knee) and DiJonai Carrington (foot), all of whom have yet to make their season debuts.
Next up, the Sky will host the 2–2 Wings at home on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
