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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.
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.
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