Sky trades Prince to New York for Pondexter
Cappie Pondexter and Epiphanny Prince are going home.
The New York Liberty acquired Prince from the Chicago Sky for WNBA veteran Cappie Pondexter in a blockbuster trade Monday.
Pondexter, who averaged a career-low 13.2 points last season, was raised in Chicago. The 32-year-old guard, a five-time WNBA all-star, came to the Liberty in a trade in 2010.
"Being able to play for a team and coach with an opportunity to win a championship is exciting," Pondexter said. "And coming home to do it is the best part!"
Pondexter won WNBA titles in 2007 and 2009 with the Phoenix Mercury, earning finals MVP honors in 2007. Chicago, which won the Eastern Conference, was swept in the WNBA Finals last season by Phoenix.
"I am thrilled to have one of the league's most fierce competitors join our team," said Sky coach/general manager Pokey Chatman.
"Cappie's ability in the open court, half court, as well as on the defensive end of the floor, make us a better team. She's an all-star, a WNBA champion and, simply put, a winner with a hunger for greatness that can galvanize a team in its pursuit of a championship."
Prince was born and raised in New York City and is thrilled for the chance to play at Madison Square Garden.
"It means a lot to me," Prince told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "To come home to play in front of my family and friends is huge. Growing up I was a huge Knicks fan. Now I'm going to go to the Garden to go to work."
It's the second straight year that the Liberty have pulled off a major trade. New York acquired all-star center Tina Charles on draft day last season.
"I'm super excited to play with Tina," Prince said. "She's one of the best posts in the game and one of my close friends off the court."
Prince averaged 15 points for the Sky last season in helping Chicago reach the WNBA Finals for the first time.
"It's bittersweet. I'm grateful for everything that organization has done for me," Prince said. "Pokey and (Sky owner) Michael (Alter) care about me as a person and wanted to do the best thing that's good for me."
Prince sat out the first part of last season because she was burned out from playing year round. She spends eight months playing in Russia. So being home in New York was big.
"That's one of the biggest things that I'm happy about this situation because I get to be home for the summer," Prince said. "To be able to play in front of my family and friends is a great opportunity."
New York has missed the playoffs the last two seasons. Along with the trade, the Liberty also signed free agents Tanisha Wright, former Sky center Carolyn Swords and Rebecca Allen.
"It's fair to say that in recent years the New York Liberty haven't played with the identity that we would like," said Kristin Bernert, the Liberty's senior vice president of business and basketball operations. "The moves we've made this offseason are about creating the culture we think we need to be successful and to properly represent our fans and New York City."