Rachel Banham Reflects on Her Eleventh WNBA Season After a Statistical Dip With the Chicago Sky
Chicago Sky guard Rachel Banham completed her eleventh WNBA season in 2026, averaging 5.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. The numbers marked a distinct decline from her 2025 campaign, when she posted averages of 9.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per contest following her trade to Chicago in 2024.
Stat Shifts and Contract Status as Free Agency Approaches
The 33-year-old guard experienced a sharp drop in her perimeter shooting during the 2026 season. Banham hit just 45 3-pointers over the course of the year, a significant regression from her career-high 86 triples in 2025. Having finished a one-year, $425,000 contract with the Sky, she now enters the league as an unrestricted free agent. With nine players already under contract and two first-round selections in the 2027 draft, roster space in Chicago remains limited.
Teammate Bonds and Social Media Reflections
Before testing the free agent market, Banham shared a retrospective post on social media to commemorate her tenure in the league. Another season of getting weird and doing what I love with my dawgsss !! 11 of them thangs,
Banham wrote alongside several photographs of her time with the team. Several teammates responded to the post, including Gabriela Jaquez, who wrote, Love you Rach!
and Thanks for making me laugh,
while players such as Jacy Sheldon, Natasha Cloud, Sydney Taylor, Azura Stevens, and former Sky player Rebecca Allen also offered public messages.
Coaching Ambitions and Upcoming Media Work
Looking beyond her playing days, Banham is already preparing for her next career chapter. She previously served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Minnesota, from 2022 to 2024. In the interim before making a final decision on her playing future, she is scheduled to work as a studio analyst and color commentator for the Big Ten Network, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
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