CHICAGO — The primary WNBA recreation on the United Heart acquired off to an unlucky begin when Chicago Sky level guard and franchise icon Courtney Vandersloot went down with a knee harm simply minutes into the crew’s 79-52 loss to the Indiana Fever.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh didn’t present an replace on Vandersloot’s standing after the sport, however did discuss how a lot she means to the crew. Coming into Saturday, Vandersloot was averaging 12 factors and a team-leading 6.2 assists.
“She’s our engine, she’s our captain and our chief on the market,” Marsh mentioned. “Clearly it is an enormous blow. Hopefully it is not as critical as we might imagine. We’re hoping that she’s capable of bounce again. In the interim all of us gotta decide her up, all of us gotta raise her up, all of us gotta raise one another up.”
Lower than 5 minutes into the sport, Vandersloot was driving to the basket when she immediately collapsed to the bottom and grabbed for her proper knee.
Vandersloot remained on the bottom for a short interval whereas her teammates and the Sky’s medical workers gathered round her. She was finally carried off the court docket and brought straight to the locker room. Shortly after the incident, the Sky introduced that Vandersloot wouldn’t return to the sport.
“I do not know the extent of it, however we’re undoubtedly fascinated by her,” mentioned appearing Fever coach Austin Kelly, who stepped in for Stephanie White on Saturday. “During the last couple of years we have had some battles after we had been in Connecticut and she or he was in New York. I’ve such an enormous quantity of respect [for Vandersloot] and I am certain the gamers in our locker room do as properly. We by no means need to see that.”
Vandersloot was drafted by the Sky with the No. 3 total decide within the 2011 WNBA Draft and spent her first 12 seasons with the group. She made 4 All-Star appearances and 5 All-WNBA groups throughout her first tenure in Chicago, and helped the Sky win the primary championship in franchise historical past in 2021.
In 2023, Vandersloot determined to depart Chicago and signed with the New York Liberty in free company. Throughout her two seasons in Brooklyn, she helped the Liberty make back-to-back Finals, and win their first title in 2024. She was faraway from the Liberty’s beginning lineup throughout the 2024 playoffs, although, and was not going to regain her spot this season.
As a substitute of remaining in New York as a back-up, Vandersloot determined to return to Chicago in free company this winter, and assumed the Sky’s start line guard function. Vandersloot was certainly one of plenty of veterans the crew introduced on this offseason, and has been a key determine on the court docket and within the locker room.
It is too early to say how lengthy Vandersloot could also be sidelined, however the preliminary response was not encouraging. If she is out for an prolonged interval, that will be an enormous loss for the rebuilding Sky, and particularly their younger bigs, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
Vandersloot is the Sky’s all-time chief in video games performed (364), factors (3,743), assists (2,424) and steals (468).