Courtney Vandersloot of the Mist controls the ball ahead of Courtney Williams of the Lunar Owls during the second half at The Mediapro Studio on Jan. 17 in Medley, Fla. (Getty Images)
With 36 of the greatest women’s basketball players assembled in Miami for Unrivaled’s inaugural season, no fan would be wrong in choosing a favorite.
But ask any of the players who might be the most beloved and respected for what she’s meant to the game during a well-decorated 14-year career, and none of the greats in South Beach would be wrong in showering veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot with well-deserved flowers.
Alyssa Thomas: “Sloot is … one of the best point guards to ever play the game.”
Satou Sabally: “Sloot is elite.”
Skylar Diggins-Smith: “I’ve always been a huge fan of Sloot. I’m still a huge fan of Sloot.”
Diggins-Smith isn’t alone, as most people are, both on and off the court, when “Sloot” flashes her infectious smile, shares her endearing personality or does what she does best – creates on the hardwood.
Though the diminutive Kent, Washington, native tends to be one of the smallest ballers on the court, she remains one of women’s biggest impact players in basketball.
Be it in the WNBA, overseas, or now with Unrivaled, the former Gonzaga standout’s game speaks volumes.
“We got to play against each other in college,” said Diggins-Smith, a star at Notre Dame. “I was very familiar with her game; I watched her a lot. Obviously, she played for the Chicago Sky, which was the closest (WNBA) team in South Bend, and so I paid a lot of attention to her there.
“How she approached the game, her leadership, and really for IQ, the way that she always makes players better around her. And it’s really very underrated when it comes to one of the best that we’ve had in our league. She is a capable scorer, but she always looks for her teammates and tries to get her teammates involved.”
Vandersloot has most certainly embedded herself in the fabric of women’s basketball history, climbing the ladder of the record books with 2,849 assists, second behind Seattle Storm star Sue Bird (3,234). It conceivable the seven-time WNBA assist leader can become the all-time career assist leader with two more seasons .
After enduring one of the most excruciatingly emotional years of her life in 2024, Vandersloot has been all smiles the past several weeks in Miami while preparing herself for 2025.
Roller coaster of emotionsVandersloot, 35, helped the New York Liberty open the 2024 season with a 6-2 mark by averaging 7.6 points and 5.3 assists per game but needed to step away from her career in June when her mother Jan died after a two-year battle with cancer.
Vandersloot’s loss was felt across the WNBA, as the outpouring of love for the veteran point guard streamed from every direction.
After a 3½-week hiatus, she put her uniform on and helped the Liberty capture the franchise’s first WNBA championship. Vandersloot dedicated the season to her mother.
Kennedy Burke and Courtney Vandersloot New York Liberty stand on stage during the New York Liberty Championship ticker tape parade and victory rally celebrating on Oct. 24 in New York City. (Getty Images)
Three months later, Vandersloot said during a recent Zoom session that she’s regained the competitive flame she found hard to ignite at different times after her mother died.
“I’m in a really good place,” she said. “I think Unrivaled has been great for me, just being able to work with (coach) Phil (Handy) and some different players … competing against the best, being around the best. They’re gonna bring that competitive fire and joy that I love to play with out of me.
“It was difficult to find sometimes throughout (last) season because of the emotional things I was going through. But now I’m in a really good place. And just enjoying playing again, trying to get better and competing again.”
Vandersloot said while she’s honing her skills among the most elite athletes in the sport, she’s also come to appreciate learning different aspects of her game under Mist coach Handy, whose been a part of three NBA championship coaching staffs.
“It’s been amazing, a different voice,” Vandersloot said. “He has worked with the best players in the world, especially on the NBA side. And his ability to work on our individual skill sets, get the best out of each one of us, but finding ways of how we can integrate that to each other and be competitive as a group. I think we’re all learning a lot, and we’re taking big steps forward. I think that we’re getting better every single day, and I think everyone here would agree that we’re in good hands with coach Handy.”
For Sabally, whose Phantom beat Vandersloot’s Mist 74-69 on Friday, she remains amazed at what her former overseas teammate can do.
“I had the honor of playing with her in (Turkey with) Fenerbahçe, and I would say in those two, three months, I learned so much from her,” Sabally said . “Just the way she sets the game up. She always dictates the pace. And it’s just really great, even playing against her, you could tell she’s always on it, and she reads the game. She’s just someone that you have to guard honest and respect on the floor. And even if she does not get her points, she’s still so impactful.
“Even when you roll onto her in a mismatch, she’s a guard that you think twice (about); it’s a little harder to post her up, even though you have that mismatch. So that speaks to her character. And you see how hard she works, that’s why she is who she is. It’s amazing what she always puts into the work, in the weight room, in the gym. She’s really someone that I look up to.”
Alyssa Thomas – one of the WNBA’s top defenders and most physical players in the league, not to mention an annual MVP candidate – said Vandersloot is one of the best point guards to play the game.
“She’s given us a lot of problems with her ability to get her teammates easy shots,” Thomas said. “Just somebody that you love watching … definitely somebody hard to play against. She had a lot going on in her life last year, but she’s just a great player that you know she’s gonna impact whatever team that she’s on. I love watching her play.”
Up next
For the second time in two years, Vandersloot is a free agent. Prior to the start of the Unrivaled campaign, she said she’d be testing the market.
After winning a title in Chicago in 2021, Vandersloot left for New York in 2023 and has been to the WNBA Finals in both seasons with the Liberty.
Now, as she may be looking for one final place from which she can retire, Vandersloot is keeping her options open.
Former Gonzaga standout Courtney Vandersloot is playing in the inaugural season of the Unrivaled 3×3 league this season. (Courtesy of Unrivaled Basketball)
“That’s the name of the game, is just being able to balance those things,” Vandersloot said, about playing in Unrivaled while hearing offers from different teams. “We’re here to work and get better. But obviously, free agency is around the corner. I’ve been thinking about that for a few weeks now. And so it’s just about balancing. What a great opportunity for everyone to be right here. I’m sure there will be a lot of people in town. We can meet with teams, and I see free agents in the hallways. I think it’s a great place to be if you’re a free agent.”
With the type of résumé she brings, Vandersloot has plenty of leverage, which translates to many options.
For one, she can return to New York if Breanna Stewart, also a free agent, agrees to terms to rejoin Sabrina Ionescu and coach Sandy Brondello for a run at a second straight title.
Vandersloot and her wife Allie Quigley own a home in Chicago, so she could return to the Sky and play for first-year coach Tyler Marsh while providing stability for the young frontcourt of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
Then there’s the hometown option she considered before signing with New York, and that’s to return to Washington and play for the Seattle Storm. It was something she discussed with her agent and the Storm, knowing Bird was retired. With star guard Jewell Loyd asking for a trade, it would leave an opening in the backcourt for Vandersloot, who would be a perfect mentor for second-year player Nika Muhl.
The only problem with the final option is Diggins-Smith was brought in last season to run the point. Though she’s capable of playing the two-guard spot, it’s a matter of whether she’d be willing to hand the keys to Seattle’s offense to a hometown hero.
“I love her game,” Diggins-Smith said. “She’s a dope player, and her impact on this game is amazing. From one of the best passers that we’ve ever seen in basketball, period. But just how she continues to approach the game and prepare for the game at a very high level, it’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Wherever Vandersloot lands, there’s no doubt it’ll be a city with a franchise that will fall in love with a player who’s meant as much to the game as so many others who’ve helped stitch the fabric of women’s basketball.
“I’m going to go through free agency and see the best situation for me and my family,” Vandersloot said. “Obviously, New York is where I currently feel like I’m part of the New York Liberty and coming off a championship. But I’m gonna go through free agency and just see what’s best for me.
“I want to be valued. I want to be competitive. Obviously, that’s why you come into this league. You want to be competing for championships, and a place that takes care of me, wants me to be there, and sees what I can bring to the team. That’s most important. I want to have the ball in my hands and be able to create the way that I think that I can. And just be in a place that is comfortable for me and my family.”
W.G. Ramirez is a 37-year veteran covering sports in southern Nevada, and a resident of 50 years. He is a freelance reporter in Las Vegas and a southern Nevada correspondent for The Associated Press. Follow him on “X” at @WillieGRamirez
