WNBA Power Rankings: Liberty and Lynx refuse to lose, Sky’s season goes from bad to worse, ‘soft’ Aces fall

Courtney Vandersloot won the second championship of her career with the New York Liberty last season, and could have stayed in Brooklyn to continue chasing rings. Instead, she decided to return to Chicago, where she had spent the first 12 seasons of her career and became a Sky legend. 

“I wanted to be back into my comfort zone,” Vandersloot said about her decision. “I wanted to be somewhere that I had a lot of support and somewhere I felt really good on the floor and off.”

Vandersloot knew that the Sky would not have as much success as the Liberty this season, but she wanted to be a starting point guard again and help mentor the next generation of Sky players, while also being close to family. In April, just before the season started, Vandersloot and her wife, former Sky player Allie Quigley, welcomed their baby girl, Jana, to the world. 

“We are over the moon” Vandersloot and Quigly said. “We have been dreaming of this moment for a long time, and it’s better than we could have ever imagined.”

Aside from the Sky’s early record, everything was going well for Vandersloot. She passed Quigley to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer on May 29, and was averaging 12 points and a team-high 6.2 assists through their first six games. 

Come Saturday, she was set to start in the first WNBA game at the famed United Center when the Sky hosted the Indiana Fever — a moment that would not have been possible if not for everything Vandersloot had done for the organization during her first tenure, including leading the Sky to their only championship in 2021. 

“It’s incredible for us to be able to play in an arena like this,” Vandersloot said prior to stepping on the floor. 

In a cruel twist, she only got to be out there for five minutes. Early in the first quarter, Vandersloot drove to the basket, took an awkward step and collapsed to the ground. She was carried off the court and later diagnosed with a torn ACL that will cost her the rest of the season. 

“She’s our engine, she’s our captain and our leader out there,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said after the game on Saturday. 

Even at this stage of her career, there’s no way to replace a player like Vandersloot, and her injury is a major blow to a Sky team that was hoping to get back to the playoffs this season, but is off to a 2-5 start. 

Long-term, it’s fair to wonder when, or if, we’ll see the 36-year-old Vandersloot back on a WNBA court. For everyone’s sake, the image of her laying on the United Center court in agony will hopefully not be the final one of her career. 

Here are CBS Sports’ latest WNBA Power Rankings: 

WNBA Power Rankings (June 9, 2025)