The May 27 faceoff between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury seems like a normal regular-season game on the surface, but for Kathryn and Maddy Westbeld, it marks a special moment in both WNBA history and their personal connection.

The W's only current pair of sisters will be taking the court against one another for the very first time, and they're also doing so as rookies. Maddy was the Sky's No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, while 29-year-old Kathryn just made her way back to the league after going undrafted in 2018 and building a solid overseas career.

Ahead of tip-off, the 22-year-old Sky forward opened up on the sentimental meaning of the matchup with her sister.

“Honestly, I keep calling it divine timing because this is both of our first years in the league, and so I just couldn't be more proud of her,” Maddy began. The younger Westbeld then went on to describe the bond she shares with her older sister.

“We're six years apart. Everybody always asks us if we're twins; we're not twins, technically. But that's literally my best friend, my ride or die. Honestly, every time I was, growing up, about to make a decision, she's the first person that I would go to to ask, especially when it came to basketball,” Maddy continued sincerely.

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“She's a champion in everything that she does. She won a national championship at Notre Dame, so she's got the ring to prove it,” Maddy concluded. “But in the same sense, you know, she's just, like I said, in every detail, she's a champion. So she's definitely my biggest role model.”

As the younger Westbeld sister mentioned, Kathryn claimed an NCAA title during her senior year in 2018 before spending that year's training camp with the Los Angeles Sparks. She then went on to play professionally in Puerto Rico, Spain, Australia, France, Italy, and Hungary. Maddy spent five years with the Fighting Irish herself, winning three All-ACC honors.

Maddy is still searching for her first win as a professional and the Sky's first of the season, while Kathryn's Mercury are aiming for their second-straight victory of the young WNBA campaign.