The 2025 WNBA season hasn’t been the best start for the Chicago Sky. And now, the team was dealt a major blow to a star.
Guard Courtney Vandersloot suffered a torn right torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during Saturday’s loss to the Indiana Fever, the Sky announced. She will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.
The injury happened in the first quarter against Indiana in the first ever WNBA game at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls. Vandersloot was driving to the basket when she immediately went down and was in visible pain as she grabbed her right knee. Her teammates huddled around her, and she was eventually taken back to the locker room with the help of medical staff. She didn’t return for the remainder of the contest. The Fever won the game 79-52.
It’s a brutal injury as the WNBA veteran was playing her first season back with the team that selected her No. 3 overall in the 2011 draft. Vandersloot spent the first 11 seasons with Chicago and was instrumental in the team capturing its first WNBA title in 2021. She signed with the New York Liberty in 2023 and spent two seasons with the team, helping the Liberty win their first championship last year.
A five-time WNBA All-Star, Vandersloot is second in league history in assists with 2,887 career dimes, trailing Sue Bird’s 3,234 assists. She also owns several franchise records in Chicago, including most games played, points, assists and steals, while ranking in the top five of several other categories. She re-signed with the team in February.
‘She’s our engine,’ Sky coach Tyler Marsh said following the game against Indiana. ‘She’s our captain and our leader out there, so obviously, it’s a huge blow.’
Vandersloot averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-high 5.3 assists per game in seven games played.
Chicago is 2-5 on the season, standing in 11th place in the league as the team tries to get back to the postseason after missing it in 2024.
‘It’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to watch anybody, but especially one of our teammates and someone that means as much as Sloot does to this team and organization,’ Hailey Van Lith said postgame. ‘Whatever is in store in the future for this team, I trust we will find a way to make this moment mean something in the end.’