There’s no doubt Mother’s Day this year has been extra tough on Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot.
Sloot lost her mother, Jan, who passed away last June after a two-year battle with cancer. The loss resulted in Vandersloot briefly stepping away from the New York Liberty last year, and may have contributed to her diminished role in the second half of the season.
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The first Mother’s Day after her passing has to be incredibly difficult, but this year it comes with even more emotions for Vandersloot and her wife – three-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Sixth Woman of the Year Allie Quigley – after the pair welcomed their first baby together, as announced on social media via PEOPLE.
“We are over the moon to welcome our baby girl to the world,” Vandersloot and Quigley, affectionately known as “the VanderQuigs,” tell PEOPLE. “We have been dreaming of this moment for a long time, and it’s better than we could have ever imagined!”
Vandersloot and Quigley have been together nearly ten years, officially tying the knot in December of 2018 – which is also when they first revealed their relationship publicly.
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Vandersloot, 36, is back in Chicago where she spent the first 12 seasons of her WNBA career, leading the Sky to a championship in 2021 alongside Quigley – becoming the first married couple to win a professional sports championship together.
The former Gonzaga icon will look to rebound from a tough 2024 season while mentoring the litany of young talented players on the Chicago roster, including rookie guard Hailey Van Lith and second year post players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
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