May 6, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Sky Courtney Vandersloot (22) during the first half of a WNBA pre-season game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Chicago Sky Star Courtney Vandersloot Out for Season With ACL Tear

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 8:08 PM ET

While the Chicago Sky added several players to their roster during the past offseason, one could argue that the most important acquisition made was bringing veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot back to the franchise.

But now the Sky will have to play without Vandersloot for the rest of this season, as Chicago's X account made a June 8 post that wrote, "Courtney Vandersloot underwent an MRI yesterday that revealed a right torn anterior crucial ligament (ACL), an injury she sustained in the June 7th game against Indiana. Vandersloot will miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season and undergo surgery to repair the injury.

"All of Skytown is behind you Sloot! ".

Courtney Vandersloot underwent an MRI yesterday that revealed a right torn anterior crucial ligament (ACL), an injury she sustained in the June 7th game against Indiana. Vandersloot will miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season and undergo surgery to repair the injury.

All of… pic.twitter.com/JbMa3DOg4s
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) June 8, 2025

This injury came when Vandersloot's knee appeared to buckle while driving to the paint in the first quarter of Chicago's June 7 game against the Indiana Fever. As soon as she went down, fans feared the worst for her knee, which has just been confirmed.

Vandersloot was not only supposed to be the team's starting point guard this season, but her elite facilitating abilities were going to be crucial for how the Sky's offense functioned. And while the team was struggling to make it work when she was on the court so far this year, they fared much better when she was on the court as opposed to off of it.

Vandersloot spent the first 12 seasons of her WNBA career in Chicago and rejoined the team after spending the past three campaigns with the New York Liberty. She was a key part of the Sky winning the 2021 WNBA championship and will end this year averaging 12.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game.

If there's any silver lining to be found from this devastating news, it's that fan favorite rookie Hailey Van Lith will be given a chance to prove she can be a starting point guard in the WNBA, as she had been Vandersloot's backup.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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