logo
Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot tears ACL, will miss rest of 2025 season

Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot tears ACL, will miss rest of 2025 season

Yahoo2 days ago

Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot will miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee during Chicago's eventual 27-point loss to the Indiana Fever, the team announced Sunday.
Vandersloot sustained the injury at the 5:29 mark of the first quarter of Saturday night's loss to Indiana while driving to the basket. Teammates gathered around her on the court as she lay on the floor in pain, and Vandersloot was eventually carried to the locker room before quickly being ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Advertisement
'It's heartbreaking,' Sky rookie guard Hailey Van Lith said after Chicago's loss.
'She's our engine,' coach Tyler Marsh added. 'She's our captain and our leader out there, so obviously, it's a huge blow.'
Angel Reese, the second-year forward from LSU, posted her reaction on X.
Vandersloot, 36, was the No. 3 pick of the Sky in 2011 and spent the first 12 years of her career with the franchise, leading Chicago to its first championship in 2021. She played the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the New York Liberty, where she won the 2024 title, before returning to the Sky on a one-year deal this past offseason.
Advertisement
'We're thinking of her,' Liberty coach Sandy Brondello told reporters on Sunday. 'She's playing great. She's the leader out there.'
Heading into this season, Vandersloot had already been Chicago's all-time assists leader, and she became the franchise's all-time leading scorer in late May, passing her wife, and fellow former Sky guard, Allie Quigley on the Sky's scoring list.
Vandersloot started the first seven games of Chicago's season, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 assists. Her injury will likely thrust Van Lith, the No. 11 pick in April's draft, into the Sky's starting lineup. Van Lith replaced Vandersloot after the injury occurred and played a career-high 26 minutes in Saturday's loss, which was the first WNBA game at the United Center.
The Sky will also likely lean more on guards Ariel Atkins and Rachel Banham as they look to proceed and draw the most out of their developing frontcourt of Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
Advertisement
Their first test without Vandersloot comes Tuesday, against her former team, as the Sky travel to Brooklyn to play the Liberty.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Chicago Sky, WNBA
2025 The Athletic Media Company

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Basketball fans are pissed about the Finals' court design. But there's a reason it's so plain
Basketball fans are pissed about the Finals' court design. But there's a reason it's so plain

Fast Company

time33 minutes ago

  • Fast Company

Basketball fans are pissed about the Finals' court design. But there's a reason it's so plain

The look of the NBA Finals basketball court is being reconsidered, and we could have the fans to thank. At Game 2 last Friday, the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder played on the Thunder's home court. The 'Thunder Blue' court shows the team logo at half court and also features logos for Paycom Center, the arena. What it didn't have was any indication this was a championship game. No 'NBA Finals' logo, no Larry O'Brien Trophy. Unlike the in-season NBA Cup, which got 30 all-new, fully painted courts designed by artist Victor Solomon last fall, the Pacers and Thunder are playing the NBA Finals on their regular courts. It's a matter of logistics and the quick turnaround of the games, but fans say it robs the games of a special design detail. Friday's game was broadcast with virtual Finals logos shown on the court for fans watching at home, but viewers complained about technical glitches and compared the look of the virtual trophy decal to an emoji. One social media user likened the busy floor design packed with virtual decals for corporate sponsorships to a NASCAR hood. Mid-game, the broadcast swapped out the emoji-like virtual trophy logo for a script 'Finals' logo. The poorly received court had fans wishing for an elevated design for the Finals. One reason the NBA Finals doesn't have any physical on-court branding for the series is because the NBA doesn't use decals on its courts to maintain the integrity of the playing surface. That's not just in the Finals, but all season long, and it's been that way since 2014. Instead, team logos and other elements like sponsor logos are painted on, or virtual logos can be added. 'One of the reasons we moved away from the logos on the courts is—whether it was perception or reality—there was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court,' NBA commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 2. But painting takes time. Making a custom court involves building, sanding, painting, and drying, which would take too long for the NBA's quick-turn Finals schedule. There was less than a week between this year's semifinals and Game 1. Since 2021, the NBA has added virtual Finals logos on the court for viewers at home as a workaround, and it's found other ways to bring in NBA Finals branding into the game, including logos on uniform jerseys, warmups, basket stanchions, courtside signage, and game balls. Still, Silver said he understood the fans' disappointment. 'I think for a media-driven culture, whether it's people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it's nice when you're looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it's a special event,' he said recently at an event. 'So, we'll look at it.' The time commitment involved in making basketball courts presents a challenge, but Silver suggested there still might be a solution. 'Maybe there's a way around it,' he said.

This hidden detail in the Milwaukee Brewers logo was worthy of a ‘Jeopardy!' clue
This hidden detail in the Milwaukee Brewers logo was worthy of a ‘Jeopardy!' clue

Fast Company

time43 minutes ago

  • Fast Company

This hidden detail in the Milwaukee Brewers logo was worthy of a ‘Jeopardy!' clue

Two hidden letters embedded inside a Major League Baseball team's logo were clues on Jeopard y! And if you didn't know their secret meaning before, don't worry—because some of their own players and fans didn't either. The clue in the 'Logo-A-Go-Go' category for $200 was: 'Some players have been on this MLB team for quite some time before noticing that its ball-and-glove logo forms the letters M and B.' Contestant Ted Nyman gave the correct response: 'Who are the Milwaukee Brewers?' — Richard (@ifiwasrichard) June 9, 2025 The Brewers announced a rebrand in 2019 for the club's 50th anniversary. The team brought back an old logo first used in 1978 that cleverly placed a lowercase B underneath a letter M to form a baseball mitt out of the team nickname's initials—and they're hidden in plain sight. It's a concept by Tom Meindel, a former art history student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire who submitted the design to a team logo contest. The contest was open to the public, and out of nearly 2,000 submissions, Meindel's logo won. (He received $2,000 for his work.) That the Brewers revived his classic ball-in-glove logo for their 50th anniversary is a testament to the logo's simplicity and proof that nostalgia sells in sports. You can't unsee the hidden M and B in the Brewers logo once you see them. But like the Jeopardy! clue said, it's not always obvious at first glance, including to the team's own fans and players. 'I had actually been in the organization for probably five years before I figured it out,' right fielder Ryan Braun admitted in 2019. And in an open poll that year on what was then called Twitter, the Brewers team account asked: 'How old were you when you realized the glove is also an 'm' and a 'b'?' And the responses were 39.1% for 'Always known,' 31.4% for 'Far too late in life,' and 29.5% for 'Wait. What?!'

Aaron Rodgers says continuing to play football was ‘best for my soul' as he reveals he's now married
Aaron Rodgers says continuing to play football was ‘best for my soul' as he reveals he's now married

CNN

time43 minutes ago

  • CNN

Aaron Rodgers says continuing to play football was ‘best for my soul' as he reveals he's now married

After months of speculation, Aaron Rodgers finally signed a deal to become the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback last week and set up another fascinating chapter in his Hall of Fame career. The 41-year-old inked a one-year, $13.6 million dollar contract with the Steelers in an attempt to bring Super Bowl success back to a franchise which has gone 16 years without a Vince Lombardi Trophy and 14 years since their last appearance in the season-ending game; coincidentally, it was Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers who beat the Steelers in their last Super Bowl appearance in 2011. On his first day of mandatory minicamp in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Rodgers said that despite being the oldest quarterback in the league, he's still playing because it's what he wants to do. 'For my ego, I don't need it to keep playing,' Rodgers told reporters. 'A lot of decisions that I've made over my career and life from strictly the ego – even if they turn out well – are always unfulfilling. 'But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. So this was a decision that was best for my soul. I felt like being here with coach (Mike Tomlin) and the guys they got here and the opportunity here was best for me. I'm excited to be here.' Rodgers' signing saga divided many given the length of time it took – most notably, Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw said he didn't want the former Packers and New York Jets star anywhere near the team – but with the four-time NFL MVP at the helm, the Steelers look a formidable outfit. He is coming off two disappointing seasons with the Jets, including one which was lost to a torn Achilles tendon just four plays into his first year with the franchise. Although he failed to have the success his signing was meant to bring to Gang Green, Rodgers still showed glimpses of producing like a top-level quarterback last year. Now, he joins up with Tomlin and an offense led by wide receiver DK Metcalf, who joined in the offseason. Before Rodgers' signing, videos on social media showed the pair working out in California. Rodgers – who also revealed on Tuesday that he got married this offseason – was complimentary of Metcalf after his first day of practice with the team, but highlighted head coach Tomlin as the main reason he decided to join. 'I've gone against him over the years. The way that the conversations went between him and I, whenever it was in March or April and the last Sunday when I called him was some of the coolest conversations I had in the game,' he said. 'So he's a big reason of why I'm here and I'm excited to play for him.' While Steelers fans might be excited at the prospect of Rodgers playing in the Steel City, other members of the NFL are enthusiastic about it for a different reason. Myles Garrett – who plays for the Steelers' AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns – was asked about Rodgers' addition to the division on Tuesday and his answer was unequivocal. 'What do I think about it? I think it's a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard,' Garrett told reporters. Garrett, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, is famous for his extravagant Halloween decorations. He has decorated the front yard of his house as a graveyard filled with tombstones adorned with the names of every quarterback he has sacked over his career. In 2021, Garrett wore a Grim Reaper-style costume with a cloak emblazoned with the names of the quarterbacks he'd sacked. Garrett's first opportunity to add Rodgers to that list comes in Week 6 as the Browns travel to Pittsburgh before Cleveland hosts the Steelers in Week 17.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store