Courtney Vandersloot's season-ending injury draws support from Angel Reese, WNBA players
Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot has been in the WNBA since 2011 and there are few players in the league who have more respect from her peers. So when she went down with a season-ending ACL injury over the weekend, players around the league showed their support.
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Her teammate, Angel Reese, shared a prayer hands emoji Sunday night once the news broke.
Second-year Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards posted via X, 'Sending love to my sis @Sloot22 🙏🏾🫶🏾', just hours after Washington defeated the Connecticut Sun.
Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings chimed in with 'Dang… praying for you @Sloot22 !!! 🙏🏽🥰.'
For the Sky, who are just 2-5, losing Vandersloot is a crucial blow. She was the team's third-leading scorer in the early part of the season, putting up 10.6 points with a team-best 5.3 assists per game.
Rookie Hailey Van Lith will surely have to step up the rest of the way. Though she hasn't contributed much this year, she made an impact on Saturday against the Fever, playing 26 minutes and scoring seven points.
Liberty still hope to celebrate Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Next up for the Sky is a trip to Brooklyn to face the New York Liberty on Tuesday. The plan had been for New York to honor Vandersloot, who played there in 2023 and 2024, by presenting her with her 2024 championship ring. But with the injury so recent, it's still not clear if she will travel with the team this week.
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'We're just more thinking of her, and hopefully she's okay,' her former coach, Sandy Brondello, said Sunday, per Myles Ehrlich of Winsidr. 'We'd like to celebrate her.'
Vandersloot was part of the massive haul Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb brought in prior to the 2023 season that led the team to consecutive WNBA Finals appearances, along with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Though she played crucial roles on both squads, she saw a diminished role in the 2024 playoffs as Brondello moved her to the bench.
When free agency came, Vandersloot decided to return to Chicago, where she spent the first 12 seasons of her career.
Related: Jeff Teague drops 'Dennis Rodman of the WNBA' Angel Reese take
Related: Courtney Vandersloot to miss remainder of season with ACL injury
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