The Chicago Sky forward was averaging 22 points per game before leaving Sunday’s matchup
Chicago Sky forward Rickea Jackson was off to one of the more impressive starts in the WNBA this season until Sunday changed everything. During the Sky’s May 17 matchup against the Minnesota Lynx, Jackson went down with a left knee injury in the second quarter and did not return, casting a shadow over what had been a genuinely electric beginning to her tenure in Chicago.
At the 5:24 mark of the second quarter, Jackson drove toward the basket, absorbing contact from a nearby defender. As she planted and attempted a countermove back to her left, she let out an audible cry of pain and collapsed to the floor. She lay on the court writhing for several moments before Chicago’s training staff quickly came to her side. Jackson pointed to her left knee to signal where the pain was concentrated, and after spending some time on the floor, she was eventually helped off the court and to the locker room. She was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Before exiting, Jackson had scored six points on 50% shooting, along with one rebound and a block.
A trade that looked like a steal at least through 3 games
Jackson’s arrival in Chicago was one of the more talked-about moves of the WNBA offseason. The Sky acquired the 25 year old from the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for two time All Star guard Ariel Atkins, with no draft picks changing hands. Los Angeles had originally selected Jackson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she spent two seasons with the Sparks before the deal was finalized.
During her time in Los Angeles, Jackson averaged 14 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on 43.9% shooting and earned a spot on the 2024 All WNBA Rookie team. The trade sent her to a Chicago team in the middle of a sweeping roster overhaul one that also involved moving Angel Reese and bringing in veterans including Skylar Diggins, DiJonai Carrington and Azurá Stevens.
The results, at least before Sunday, were hard to argue with. Chicago entered the Lynx game at 2-1, a marked improvement in identity and cohesion compared to recent seasons.
What Jackson brought to Chicago’s offense
Through the Sky’s first three games of the 2026 season, Jackson was averaging 22 points, six rebounds and 2.7 assists per game numbers that placed her eighth in the league in scoring. She was also fourth in the WNBA in field goal attempts, a volume that analysts had pointed to as the foundation for even greater offensive production as the season progressed.
The key factor driving that production was opportunity. In Los Angeles, Jackson shared offensive responsibilities with Kelsey Plum, currently the league’s leading scorer, which naturally limited how many looks Jackson could generate for herself. In Chicago, she is unquestionably the primary perimeter option, with Diggins as her distributor a pairing that had already begun to show real chemistry.
The one area of concern heading into Sunday was efficiency. Jackson was shooting 38.9% from the field and 31.6% from three point range both figures below her numbers from a season ago, when she shot 42.4% overall and 34.8% from deep. Most observers, however, attributed those dips to early season variance rather than any structural issue with her game.
What comes next for the Sky
The timing of this injury is difficult for a team that had just started to find its rhythm. Jackson’s scoring load and on ball creation are central to how Chicago’s offense functions, and losing her even temporarily would put significant pressure on Diggins and the rest of the roster to compensate.
The Sky have not yet provided a formal timeline or diagnosis regarding the injury. What is clear is that the Chicago fanbase, which had reason to be genuinely excited about this team’s direction, will be watching closely for updates as the week progresses. Jackson‘s health will go a long way in determining just how far this retooled Sky squad can go in 2026.