SIOUX FALLS — The WNBA came to Sioux Falls for the first time on Saturday, and it couldn’t have been a bigger hit.
The Phoenix Mercury — coached by South Dakota native son Nate Tibbetts — defeated the Chicago Sky 108-104 in a preseason exhibition, and, given the way Mercury fans travel (or how many there are in South Dakota), this felt like a pretty important exhibition game.
With a sellout crowd of 3,357 fans, most of whom were decked out in either purple or orange (the Mercury colors), Phoenix certainly wanted to win. They played to win and Tibbetts coached to win.
But even with everyone getting the result they wanted, the Mercury’s victory was secondary.
This was more than a basketball game.
It was a homecoming for Tibbetts, the former Roosevelt and USD star who went on to coach at USF, USD and the Sioux Falls Skyforce before a long stint as an NBA assistant.
And it was a historic moment for women’s sports in South Dakota.
We’ve already built a reputation in this state for our support of women’s hoops — Tibbetts knew that when plans first started being formulated for this game two years ago.
But for all our women’s basketball tradition, the WNBA has never been to South Dakota.
Scenes from the WNBA preseason game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
And the ‘W’ has never been more popular than it is right now.
This was a chance for young girls with hoop dreams to see some of the biggest stars in the women’s game up close. To see women making a living — a good one, now — playing the game they love, something Tibbetts pointed out didn’t even really exist when he was a kid and his legendary dad, Fred Tibbetts, was helping to build South Dakota’s women’s basketball culture as the coach of the Roosevelt Rough Riders’ girls basketball dynasty.
It started with a clinic on Friday night at the Pentagon, and continued with Saturday’s game, a high-energy display of the best that women’s basketball has to offer.
The Mercury and Sky brought something close to their A-game. Even the best teams and best players in the world have off-days, and Chicago and Phoenix could easily have mailed it in on Saturday. It’s just the preseason, after all. But no, they gave an in-person demonstration of just how far the women’s game has come. Of just how good the best players in the world really are. It was extremely entertaining basketball, and the Mercury fans and cheerleaders made for a raucous environment.
Scenes from the WNBA preseason game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
“Girls my age growing up, they didn’t have role models on the women’s side,” Tibbetts said. “You know, 30 years ago it was just starting, right? And so, I mean, what an unbelievable time for a young girl basketball player to have, like, real role models. I hope that the state got a glimpse of how good this league is. You know, our women players are in a lot of commercials now. They’ve got their own shoes with the different brands out there. And it’s just an exciting time. And I feel, like, so lucky and blessed to be a part of it at this time.”
So do his players.
Kahleah Copper, a 31-year-old All-Star who played at Rutgers, was fully bought in to making the experience memorable for the young women of South Dakota. Bursting with personality (she surprised Tibbetts by arriving at the Pentagon Saturday wearing Nate’s old USD Coyotes jersey), Copper signed autographs and interacted with fans at the clinic on Friday and again at the game, and made clear how seriously she takes her role as an ambassador for the game during the postgame press conference.
Scenes from the WNBA preseason game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
“I’m big on community, I’m big on giving back,” Copper said. “I love kids. So just to be able to be back here in Nate’s hometown and share those experiences with him, that’s also important for him too. I enjoy the clinics and giving them a little bit more of our time. How often do they get to interact with WNBA players, players of our caliber, to be able to share space, learn, and then have fun? So why not give them all the energy I can?”
Tibbetts admitted the trip to South Dakota (which started with a stop in Michigan) was a lot to ask of his players, but the players, in turn, clearly understood what it meant for their coach to be able to make a triumphant return home.
When Copper was asked what she would say to any young fans who were there watching their first WNBA game, she took a second to think before answering: “One, I would just say thank you for supporting us. It means a lot. And, if you can see her, you can be her. They were able to come out and witness this history for the first time. So I just hope that they continue to work on their game, continue to watch the game, support the game, and then just grow and be a pro.”
Tibbetts seemed giddy to be back. He mentioned that one of the first people he saw when he arrived was Katie Dailey, who played point guard for Fred Tibbetts at Jefferson High School and later coached the USF women’s team at the same time Nate was an assistant under Shane Murphy. There were old friends from his past all over the arena, reminding Tibbetts of his stint in Vermillion, the early days at Roosevelt, weekend GPAC clashes in the Stewart Center, and adjusting to the pros with the Skyforce, first as an assistant and later as their head coach.
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts addresses the media during a postgame press conference following a WNBA preseason game against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
And, of course, it reminded him of Fred, and the role his dad played in building girl’s and women’s basketball in South Dakota. It wasn’t lost on Nate that by bringing the WNBA to Sioux Falls, he’s building on a legacy Fred started.
When asked what he thought his dad, who died of cancer at age 58 in 2008, would’ve thought about Saturday’s festivities, Nate smiled and said: “He probably would have said ‘about time’. This is something that he wanted, right? He always wanted the girls game to be at the same level as the boys or the men’s. That was something that he pushed for. Yeah, I mean, I got to go out to the cemetery this morning, and I just…”
At that point, Tibbett’s voice quivered and he paused for several seconds, composing himself. He kept the tears at bay, and smiled.
“He would have loved this. He would have loved it.”