2019 WNBA champion Natasha Cloud recently spoke about her time in the WNBA free agency. Her contract was not renewed by the New York Liberty after the 2025 season. She was a free agent before the Chicago Sky signed her to a one-year deal on May 4, 2026.

On Friday’s episode of the Bird’s Eye View podcast with Sue Bird, Cloud revealed why her contract wasn't renewed. She also spoke about her lack of sponsorships and deals.

"My contract was terminated because I hired an outside marketing agency,” Cloud said. “I was just being told I wasn’t marketable. I was being told my activism was a reason as to why I wasn’t getting certain deals and sponsorships."

Cloud has been a vocal advocate for the marginalized communities and has been outspoken in condemning acts of global violence. She suspects this may have led to her being told she "wasn’t marketable."

2025 saw Cloud play 41 games for the Liberty as the starting point guard. She averaged 10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. But there seemed to be a lack of frontcourt chemistry between her and Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu.

She noted how two days before the expansion draft, she left without a team or representation.

"I’m now scrambling. You know how hard it is to find an agent and an agency with this amount of money." She said. "There was this one point I was like, defeated… I just broke down, and I was like, ‘I don’t, I don’t know what to do anymore.'"

But this is when she and her girlfriend, WNBA player Izzy Harrison, found agent Fabio Jardine of FirstPick Management. He helped her sign a one-year deal with the Sky. She also mentioned that the Dallas Wings were the other team interested in her.

Cloud now takes the court with the Chicago Sky, and things seem to be looking up for the three-time All-Defensive Team selection.

Natasha Cloud and The Sky's Journey Up Ahead

Cloud seems to be happy in her current team, although the Sky have struggled recently with a record of 4-7, 12th in the league.

"I'm really happy to be in Chicago, whether we've just lost five in a row or not," she said during the podcast. "Like, I really enjoy this organization, the revamp of it, the reinvestment of it, the people that we have in our locker room. Now, it's about the chemistry, connecting, piecing it together and figuring it out as a unit."

The Sky has currently allowed 85.9 points per game, so she will need to step it up.

Chicago hasn't really been that effective on offense as well, with an offensive rating of 101 according to Basketball-Reference, 13th out of 15 teams in the league.

They will face the Atlanta Dream next, who have a record of 7-3. Although Cloud has the experience, she would need to be more effective for the team.

Cloud is currently averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. The Sky will hope to break the shackles of defeats against the Dream on Tuesday, June 9.

Do you think the Chicago Sky will benefit from Natasha Cloud's veteran experience? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Surjo Ray