Point guard Courtney Vandersloot will make her long-awaited return after a yearlong recovery from a right ACL injury.
Unless she faces any unexpected hurdles, she’ll take the court when the Chicago Sky host the Portland Fire at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Friday, Jun. 25. The 5-foot-8 veteran told ESPN she was “excited and thankful” to complete her comeback that she couldn’t put it into words.
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Vandersloot, 37, injured her knee in a loss to the Indiana Fever in early June 2025. She was listed as questionable on Chicago’s injury report on Thursday, June 25.
Drafted No. 3 overall by the Sky in 2011, Vandersloot played her first 12 seasons with the team and won her first WNBA championship in 2021. She signed with the Liberty as a free agent in 2023 and won her second league title in 2024.
A free agent this offseason, Vandersloot returned to Chicago as part of a flurry of moves that saw the Sky trade star forward Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream before acquiring Skylar Diggins, Azurá Stevens, Rickea Jackson and Natasha Cloud.
Jackson is out for the season with a torn ACL she sustained on May 17 against the Minnesota Lynx. She underwent reconstructive surgery earlier this month.
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Vandersloot’s return comes at an opportune time for Chicago, which beat the Portland Fire on Wednesday night. It was their second win in the 13 games since Jackson’s injury.
Chicago is currently near the bottom of the league standings at No. 13. The team sits above the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun, both have three wins each.
Vandersloot made her return to 5-on-5 action in practice three weeks ago. At the time, she told reporters she felt like a return was near and that she was “recovering fast.”
To make room for Vandersloot’s addition to the active roster, the Sky waived hardship contract signee Saylor Poffenbarger.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Courtney Vandersloot set to return from ACL injury for Chicago Sky
