:Courtney Vandersloot

Born in the Seattle suburb of Kent, Washington to parents who both worked for Boeing,{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/_/post/6304601/courtney-vandersloot-ready-live-wnba-dream |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412041152/http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/_/post/6304601/courtney-vandersloot-ready-live-wnba-dream |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 12, 2011 |title=Vandersloot ready to live the WNBA dream |first=Meri-Jo |last=Borzilleri |work=ESPNW.com |date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} Vandersloot grew up in a neighborhood with many children her age, and said in a 2011 interview that "all we did was play sports, all sports." Her father built a sports court with a basketball goal behind the family house, but she almost never played there, choosing instead to play at a hoop in front of a neighbor's house where she could easily be seen by other children in the neighborhood. She regularly played against boys. During the third grade, she wrote a school paper about her dreams of one day playing in the WNBA.

While Vandersloot regularly played basketball and many other sports as a child—she was also on a fast-pitch softball team that was runner-up in a Washington state tournament at age 11— her favorite sport was soccer; she had a poster of Mia Hamm on her bedroom wall. She did not concentrate on basketball until high school:

{{blockquote|I grew up wanting to go to North Carolina because of Mia Hamm. Once I got into high school and basketball started interfering with club soccer I found I dreaded going to soccer practice. I was having so much fun developing my game. I just fell in love with it.}}

Vandersloot became a basketball star at Kentwood High School in her hometown. Her coach, Keith Hennig, a former player at Central Washington University who is 6 inches taller than Vandersloot, regularly played one-on-one against her either before or after the team's practice. He would later say, "I did not take it easy on her at all. I was more physical than anything she's ever been used to. At times, I wasn't too nice. I would ride her and foul her. I'd put my hand in her face and she would whine and complain about fouls. I'd say, 'There's no fouls out here.' " She eventually reached the point where she regularly beat her coach off the dribble.

A pivotal moment in her life came during the summer before her sophomore year, when she went with a friend to the Gonzaga University girls' basketball camp. She would say about the trip in 2011, "I just fell in love with this place. I felt so comfortable here." The Gonzaga women's basketball staff was equally enthusiastic about her, except for head coach Kelly Graves, who had little opportunity to see her during the camp. Graves would finally get to see Vandersloot at length in her junior year, on the day before the 2006 Washington Class 4A state tournament. He offered her a scholarship after seeing her practice, even though he did not stay for the tournament.

That season, she had averaged more than 18 points and 7 assists as she led Kentwood to its first state tournament appearance; they would lose in the second round of the tournament to Spokane's University High, led by future Tennessee star Angie Bjorklund. After that season, Vandersloot was asked by many people if she would consider Washington or another Pac-10 school, but decided against it after a Pac-10 assistant told Hennig she was too small. She would eventually sign with Gonzaga in November 2006, during her senior year at Kentwood; she noted in 2011, "I wasn't really being highly recruited and I just didn't want to go through the stressful recruiting process, so I committed early to Gonzaga."

Vandersloot took her game to another level as a senior, averaging 26 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals while leading Kentwood to a third-place finish in the state tournament; their only loss was in the state semifinals. She scored 113 points in the tournament, one shy of the state record for a girls' tournament, and was named MVP. Vandersloot was also consensus first-team all-state, and was named the state's player of the year by the Seattle Times.{{cite web |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/vandersloot_courtney00.html |title=Player Bio: Courtney Vandersloot |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117143709/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/vandersloot_courtney00.html |archive-date=November 17, 2017 |url-status=dead}} Vandersloot was rated as the No. 64 national prospect,{{cite web |url=http://girlshoops.scout.com/2/595536.html |title=Team Washington 2007 |first=Glenn |last=Nelson |work=Scout.com |date=November 28, 2006 |access-date=April 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724115021/http://girlshoops.scout.com/2/595536.html |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |df=mdy-all}} Note: The piece was updated after its original publication to reflect the 2007 Washington state tournaments. and No. 35 among guards,{{cite web |url=http://girlshoops.scout.com/a.z?s=209&p=8&c=1&nid=2448103 |title=Courtney Vandersloot Profile |work=Scout.com |year=2007 |access-date=April 8, 2011}} by Scout.com.

By her own admission, Vandersloot came to Gonzaga as a shy freshman. During that first season, Graves suggested that she call the school's greatest point guard in history for advice—Hall of Famer John Stockton. Vandersloot would recall that it "took me a couple of weeks to build up," and when she finally called Stockton for the first time, she hoped that she would reach his voice mail so she wouldn't have to talk.{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/_/post/6264343/gonzaga-bulldogs-courtney-vandersloot-home-spotlight |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227071222/http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/_/post/6264343/gonzaga-bulldogs-courtney-vandersloot-home-spotlight |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |title=Courtney Vandersloot at home in the spotlight |first=Michelle |last=Smith |publisher=ESPNW |date=March 28, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} Vandersloot eventually worked with Stockton throughout her Gonzaga career.

As a freshman in 2007–08, she was the West Coast Conference newcomer of the year and named to the 10-member All-WCC first team after averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game entering the WCC tournament, finishing in the top five in the WCC in the latter two categories while the Zags went 13–1 in conference play and earned the tournament's top seed.{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030308aac.html |title=2008 All-WCC Women's Basketball Team Announced |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 3, 2008 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231051632/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030308aac.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} However, the Bulldogs lost in the WCC final to San Diego{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/030908aaa.html |title=Zags Fall In WCC Tournament Final |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=March 9, 2008 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231051651/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/030908aaa.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} and ultimately missed out on the NCAA Tournament, playing instead in the WNIT. They defeated UC Davis in the first round{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/032108aaa.html |title=Bulldogs Defeat UC Davis in WNIT Opener |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=March 20, 2008 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231051702/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/032108aaa.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} before falling to Colorado in the second round.{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/032408aaa.html |title=Bulldogs Fall In Second round of WNIT |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=March 24, 2008 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231211850/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/032408aaa.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

In her 2008–09 sophomore season, she set a school record in assists with 239; at the end of the regular season, her average of 7.3 per game led the conference, and she was also third in the conference in scoring at 16.4 per game.{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030209aad.html |title=WCC Announces 2009 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 2, 2009 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231212020/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030209aad.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} Vandersloot won the first of what would be three WCC Player of the Year awards. The Bulldogs went on to win the WCC tournament, with Vandersloot named tournament MVP.{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030909aab.html |title=Gonzaga Wins WCC Women's Basketball Tournament; Punches NCAA Tournament Ticket |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 9, 2009 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231212131/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030909aab.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} In the NCAA tournament, the Zags defeated Xavier for the program's first NCAA Tournament win{{cite news |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032810aaa.html |title=Gonzaga Falls to Xavier; Ends Historic Season |agency=Associated Press |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 28, 2010 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231212043/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032810aaa.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} before narrowly losing in the second round to Pitt.{{cite news |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032409aaa.html |title=Zags Show Nation They Belong With The Elite; Fall In Final Minute To Pitt |agency=Associated Press |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 24, 2009 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231212134/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032409aaa.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

As a junior in 2009–10, Vandersloot led Division I in assists, averaging 9.4 per game,{{cite web |url=http://stats.ncaa.org/player?game_sport_year_ctl_id=10420&stats_player_seq=849777 |title=2010–11 Women's Basketball Individual Statistics: Courtney Vandersloot |publisher=NCAA |access-date=April 9, 2011}} while leading the Zags to an unbeaten record in conference play.{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030110aaa.html |title=WCC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams Announced |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 1, 2010 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722001003/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030110aaa.html |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |url-status=dead}} During that season, she broke her own school record for assists in a season with 321, and also broke the Gonzaga and WCC records for career assists. Vandersloot was again named both WCC Player of the Year and WCC Tournament MVP{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030810aad.html |title=Gonzaga Captures Zappos.com WCC Women's Basketball Championship Title |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 6, 2010 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231212022/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030810aad.html |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}} while leading the Bulldogs to a second consecutive WCC Tournament title. In the NCAA tournament, Vandersloot led the Zags one round farther than in 2009, upsetting No. 2 seed (and 2011 champion) Texas A&M before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to the Xavier team they had knocked out the year before.

Her senior year at Gonzaga, 2010–11, can be summed up as a season of milestones. She led the WCC in both scoring and assists on the way to a second straight unbeaten season in conference play.{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030111aab.html |title=2011 WCC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams Announced |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 1, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101025838/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030111aab.html |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |url-status=dead}} Vandersloot was named WCC Player of the Year for an unprecedented third time. The Zags again won the WCC Tournament, and Vandersloot was named tournament MVP for the third straight time,{{cite press release |url=http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030911aaa.html |title=2011 WCC Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team Announced |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=March 7, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101025920/http://www.wccsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/030911aaa.html |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |url-status=dead}} also becoming the first women's player in WCC history to win that honor three times.

In the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs were a No. 11 seed, but had the advantage of playing their first-round and potential second-round games at their home court of McCarthey Athletic Center. They would take full advantage of their home court in the first two rounds. The Zags, seeded No. 11 in their region, opened the tournament with a 92–86 upset of Iowa, with Vandersloot scoring a career-high 34 points.{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=310782294 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106090812/http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=310782294 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |title=Gonzaga knocks off sixth-seeded Iowa in NCAA first round |agency=Associated Press |publisher=ESPN |date=March 19, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} In their second-round game against No. 3 seed UCLA, Vandersloot finished with 29 points and 17 assists, one assist shy of the record for a Division I tournament game, as the Zags took down the Bruins 89–75. During that game, she became the first player in Division I history to amass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career assists. The win advanced them to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight year, and to a regional tournament that would be held less than {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} from the Gonzaga campus at Spokane Arena.

During the Bulldogs' next game, a 76–69 win over Louisville, Vandersloot broke the Division I women's record for assists in a season previously held by Suzie McConnell. She finished with 29 points, 7 assists, and 7 steals as the Zags became the lowest-seeded team ever to reach a regional final in the women's tournament.{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=310850097 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106090817/http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=310850097 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |title=Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga hold off Louisville to earn Elite 8 trip |agency=Associated Press |publisher=ESPN |date=March 26, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} Their tournament run, and Vandersloot's college career, would end one game later as Stanford would defeat the Zags 83–60. While she finished with 25 points, only four came in the second half.{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=310870024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106091228/http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=310870024 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |title=Stanford buries Gonzaga's upset bid to make fourth straight trip to Final Four |agency=Associated Press |publisher=ESPN |date=March 28, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} In addition to her other milestones during the season, she also broke the Gonzaga single-season scoring record.{{cite press release |url=http://pointguard.org/press2011.htm |title=Vandersloot Named the 2011 Nancy Lieberman Award Top Point Guard |publisher=Rotary Club of Detroit |date=April 1, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824212512/http://pointguard.org/press2011.htm |archive-date=August 24, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}

Vandersloot became one of the most decorated players of the 2010–11 season. She won the women's Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the top Division I player no taller than {{convert|5|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}},{{cite press release |url=http://www.hoophall.com/news/2011/3/7/gonzagas-courtney-vandersloot-receives-2011-frances-pomeroy.html |title=Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot Receives 2011 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award |publisher=Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |date=March 7, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324060722/http://www.hoophall.com/news/2011/3/7/gonzagas-courtney-vandersloot-receives-2011-frances-pomeroy.html |archive-date=March 24, 2011 |url-status=dead}} and the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in Division I women's basketball. She was also named to multiple All-America teams. The AP named her a second-team All-America; she became the first women's player in WCC history to be named to that specific team.{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032911aac.html |title=Vandersloot Named Second Team AP All-America |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=March 29, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102826/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032911aac.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}} She also was named to the five-woman Wooden All-America Team, another honor never before achieved by a WCC player.{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033011aac.html |title=Vandersloot Named To John R. Wooden Award All America Team |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=March 30, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101030435/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033011aac.html |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |url-status=dead}} Finally, she was named to the 10-player USBWA All-America team, becoming the first Gonzaga player so honored,{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033011aad.html |title=USBWA Names Courtney Vandersloot To All-America Team |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=March 30, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101025901/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033011aad.html |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |url-status=dead}} and the 10-member State Farm Coaches All-America team, another first for a WCC player.{{cite press release |url=http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/040211aab.html |title=Vandersloot Named State Farm Coaches' All-America |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=April 1, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101025942/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/040211aab.html |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |url-status=dead}}

Her impact on the Gonzaga program can be measured by another statistic—home attendance. The year before she arrived in Spokane, the Bulldogs averaged 1,492 with a team that would make its first NCAA tournament appearance. By her junior year, attendance had risen to 2,935, and rose again to 3,824 in her senior season, with the Zags selling out the McCarthey Athletic Center twice before the NCAA tournament.

On February 11, 2023, Vandersloot had her number retired, becoming the first Gonzaga women's basketball player to receive the honor.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story?id=35639796&_slug_=gonzaga-women-basketball-retires-courtney-vandersloot-no-21-jersey |title=Gonzaga women's basketball retires Courtney Vandersloot's No. 21 |work=ESPN.com |date=2023-02-11 |access-date=2023-02-11}}

File:Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award.JPG

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (2011)
• Nancy Lieberman Award (2011)
• 3× WCC Player of the Year (2009–2011)
• 3× WCC women's tournament MVP (2009–2011)
• 4× All-WCC (2008–2011)
• WCC Newcomer of the Year (2008)
• 2009 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans (honorable mention, AP)
• 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans:
• Honorable mention, AP
• Honorable mention, State Farm Coaches'
• 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans:
• Wooden All-America
• State Farm Coaches'
• USBWA
• Second team, AP
• No. 21 retired by Gonzaga Bulldogs

NCAA records:

• First NCAA Division I player of either gender with 2,000 points and 1,000 assists
• Most assists in a season, Division I (367)

File:Vandersloot4-20180914.jpg

Vandersloot was widely considered to be one of the top prospects in the 2011 WNBA draft. Her relatively small size had been a subject of concern, as was her defense—despite averaging 4.5 steals per game in the 2011 NCAA tournament and ending her Gonzaga career with 366.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/news/story?id=6305660 |title=Five draft prospects on the rise |first=Chris |last=Hansen |publisher=ESPN HoopGurlz |date=April 7, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} However, she was seen as likely to be one of the top seven picks,{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/news/story?id=6304607 |title=Moore, Cambage the top prospects |first=Chris |last=Hansen |work=ESPN HoopGurlz |date=April 9, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2011}} and was ultimately picked third overall by the Chicago Sky. One indicator of her likely draft position was that Indiana Fever coach Lin Dunn, whose team needed depth at point guard going into the 2011 season, signed Shannon Bobbitt in February, convinced that Vandersloot would be picked before the Fever's turn at #9. John Stockton gave Vandersloot high praise, stating, "I don't want to dramatize it too much but she's like Gretzky in hockey. There is something that separates Courtney from others."

In her rookie season, she became the Sky's regular starter at the point, ultimately starting 26 of the team's 34 games.{{cite web |url=http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/courtney_vandersloot/career_stats.html |title=Courtney Vandersloot: Career Stats and Totals |work=WNBA.com |access-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121120323/http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/courtney_vandersloot/career_stats.html |archive-date=November 21, 2011 |df=mdy-all}} Her average of 3.7 assists per game (apg) was 11th in the league and second among rookies.{{cite web |url=http://www.wnba.com/statistics/wplayer/Assists.jsp?league=10&season=22011&conf=OVERALL&position=0&splitType=9&splitScope=GAME&qualified=Y&yearsExp=0&splitDD= |title=2011 Assists Leaders: Assists Per Game (rookies) |work=WNBA.com |access-date=September 29, 2011}} She was also named as an Eastern Conference reserve for the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game, and was one of the five members of the 2011 All-Rookie Team, gaining 10 of a possible 11 votes from the league's head coaches.

She became a regular starter for the Sky in subsequent seasons, and helped lead the team to the 2014 WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury in her fourth season, but the Sky were swept 3–0. The 2014 season also marked the first time Vandersloot led the league in assists per game (5.7). In the 2015 season, Vandersloot led the league in total assists (but came in second in assists-per-game to Candace Parker).

In the 2017 season, she led the league in assists for the second time in her career, setting the single-season league record for assists per game at 8.1 apg and the record for most assists over a 15-game stretch with 149.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/ct-courtney-vandersloot-sky-storm-20170903-story.html Courtney Vandersloot sets single-season assists per game record; Sky fall 85-80 to Storm] However, despite these efforts, the Sky finished 12–22, missing out on the playoffs for the first time in four years. In the 2018 season, Vandersloot broke the single-season record for assists and finished off the season with 258 assists and her own assists per game record with 8.6 apg.{{Cite web |title=Courtney Vandersloot Breaks WNBA Assists Record |url=https://gozags.com/news/2018/8/15/womens-basketball-courtney-vandersloot-breaks-wnba-assists-record.aspx |access-date=2021-06-04 |website=Gonzaga University Athletics |date=August 15, 2018 |language=en}} On July 20, 2018, Vandersloot became the seventh player in league history to post a triple-double, she scored 13 points along with 10 rebounds and a career-high 15 assists in a 114–99 victory over the Dallas Wings.{{Cite web |title=Vandersloot's Triple-Double Helps Sky Topple Wings |url=https://www.wnba.com/news/vandersloots-triple-double-helps-sky-topple-wings/ |access-date=2021-06-04 |website=WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA |language=en}} She also averaged a career-high in scoring. Despite these performances, the Sky missed out on the playoffs yet again, they finished 13–21.

File:Courtney Vandersloot on the Jumbotron at the Barclays Center.jpg

In the 2019 season, Vandersloot continued to exceed assists records. She broke her own league record with 9.1 assists per game. She was selected to the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her second All-Star appearance. Her season performance would help the Sky return to the playoffs with a 20–14 record, earning the number 5 seed. In the first-round elimination game, the Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 105–76 to advance. In the second-round elimination game, the Sky were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces 93–92 after a late game desperation half-court shot by Dearica Hamby.

In the 2020 season, the season was shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vandersloot would average a career-high in scoring and once again set a new record for assists per game with 10, while playing and starting all 22 games. The Sky finished as the number 6 seed with a 12–10 record, but were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the first round elimination game.

File:Sloot Trophy.png

In the 2021 season, Vandersloot started all 32 games for the Sky and once again led the league with 8.6 assists per game. The Sky finished the season as the sixth seed with a 16–16 record, but went on to a successful run in the playoffs, winning two single-elimination games and a semifinals series against the first-seeded Connecticut Sun to reach the Finals for the first time since 2014. In the 2021 WNBA Finals, Vandersloot recorded 12.5 assists and 11.5 points per game, as the Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury in four games to win their first championship. Across the 10 games in the 2021 postseason, she recorded 10.2 assists and 13 points per game.

After the 2022 season, Vandersloot became a free agent and signed with the New York Liberty in February 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/35577438/new-york-liberty-sign-star-guard-courtney-vandersloot |title=New York Liberty sign star guard Courtney Vandersloot |work=ESPN.com |date=2023-02-02 |accessdate=2023-02-11}}

The New York Liberty placed second in the WNBA to the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. In 2024, the Liberty won the WNBA Championship over the Minnesota Lynx. Courtney dedicated the season to her mother, Jan Vandersloot, who died in mid-summer 2024.{{Cite web |last=Crane |first=Andrew |date=2024-06-21 |title=Liberty honor Courtney Vandersloot's mom after two-year cancer battle |url=https://nypost.com/2024/06/20/sports/liberty-honor-courtney-vandersloots-mom-after-two-year-cancer-battle/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |language=en-US}}

In 2025, Vandersloot returned to the Sky.{{Cite web |title=WNBA Champion, Sky Franchise Great Courtney Vandersloot Returns to Chicago |url=https://sky.wnba.com/news/wnba-champion-sky-franchise-great-courtney-vandersloot-returns-to-chicago |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=sky.wnba.com |language=en}}

In 2011, she signed with the Turkish club Beşiktaş.{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=all-stars-host-turkey-league-stars-2011-07-22 |title=All-Stars host Turkey league stars |date=July 22, 2011 |work=Hürriyet Daily News |access-date=September 29, 2011}} Because the WNBA season is held in the northern hemisphere summer, the traditional offseason for basketball throughout the world, many of the league's players participate in overseas leagues during the traditional season and return to their WNBA teams in the summer.

In February 2022, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, she left UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Women's Basketball Premier League.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/03/03/courtney-vandersloot-allie-quigley-leave-russia-return-united-states |title=Report: Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley Leave Russian Team, Returning to United States |first=Joseph |last=Salvador |magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=March 3, 2022 }} In April 2022, she joined Hungarian club Sopron Basket for the 2022–23 European season.{{cite web |url=https://justwomenssports.com/courtney-vandersloot-signs-sopron-basket-euro-season/ |title=Courtney Vandersloot signs with Sopron Basket for next Euro season |website=Just Women's Sports |date=26 April 2022}}

In January 2023, she signed with Fenerbahçe and left at end of the season.

On September 16, 2024, it was announced that Vandersloot would appear and play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a new women's 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.{{Cite web |last=Maloney |first=Jack |date=January 17, 2025 |title=Unrivaled basketball league: Full rosters, list of players participating, teams, head coaches, 'wildcards' |url=https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/unrivaled-basketball-league-full-rosters-list-of-players-participating-teams-head-coaches-wildcards/amp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119013237/https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/unrivaled-basketball-league-full-rosters-list-of-players-participating-teams-head-coaches-wildcards/amp/ |archive-date=January 19, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=CBS Sports}}

On December 27, 2018, Vandersloot married Chicago Sky teammate Allie Quigley in Seattle, near Vandersloot's hometown of Kent, Washington.

{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-spt-cubs-anthony-rizzo-wedding-20181229-story.html |title=Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley tie the knot |website=chicagotribune.com |access-date=December 30, 2018}}

Stats current through end of 2024 season

{{WNBA player statistics start|caption=WNBA regular season statistics}}

|-

| align="left" | 2011

| align="left" | Chicago

| 34 || 26 || 22.9 || .391 || .271 || .766 || 2.0 || 3.7 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 2.7 || 6.5

|-

| align="left" | 2012

| align="left" | Chicago

| 34 || 27 || 26.7 || .405 || .333 || .649 || 2.1 || 4.6 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 3.2 || 8.9

|-

| align="left" | 2013

| align="left" | Chicago

| 33 || 33 || 29.8 || .396 || .304 || .833 || 3.2 || 5.6 || 1.3 || 0.8 || 2.4 || 8.8

|-

| align="left" | 2014

| align="left" | Chicago

| 18 || 16 || 25.1 || .402 || .375 || .833 || 2.2 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"| 5.7° || 1.1 || 0.5 || 2.6 || 6.8

|-

| align="left" | 2015

| align="left" | Chicago

| 34 || 34 || 29.8 || .463 || .356 || .901 || 3.4 || 5.8 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 2.0 || 11.4

|-

| align="left" | 2016

| align="left" | Chicago

| 30 || 21 || 24.3 || .419 || .351 || .904 || 2.7 || 4.7 || 1.3 || 0.1 || 1.6 || 9.5

|-

| align="left" | 2017

| align="left" | Chicago

| 27 || 22 || 30.3 || .516 || .382 || .861 || 3.7 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"| 8.1° || 1.2 || 0.2 || 2.9 || 11.5

|-

| align="left" | 2018

| align="left" | Chicago

| 30 || 30 || 31.8 || .489 || .398 || .826 || 3.7 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"| 8.6° || 1.3 || 0.5 || 3.4 || 12.5

|-

| align="left" | 2019

| align="left" | Chicago

| 33 || 33 || 30.0 || .452 || .290 || .850 || 4.3 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"| 9.1° || 1.4 || 0.5 || 2.9 || 11.2

|-

| align="left" | 2020

| align="left" | Chicago

| 22 || 22 || 31.5 || .491 || .395 || .889 || 3.5 ||bgcolor="EOCEF2"|10.0{{double dagger}}|| 1.2 || 0.4 || 2.5 || 13.6

|-

|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 2021{{sup|†}}

| align="left" | Chicago

| 32 || 32 || 30.5 || .433 || .346 || .857 || 3.4 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"| 8.6° || 1.7 || 0.4 || 3.0 || 10.5

|-

| align="left" | 2022

| align="left" | Chicago

| 32 || 32 || 26.5 || .481 || .367 || .765 || 3.9 || 6.5 || 1.2 || 0.5 || 2.7 || 11.8

|-

| align="left" | 2023

| align="left" | New York

| 39 || 39 || 30.4 || .442 || .294 || .761 || 3.5 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"| 8.1° || 1.3 || 0.6 || 2.7 || 10.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|2024^†

| align="left" | New York

| 31 || 31 || 22.3 || .445 || .269 || .548 || 2.6 || 4.8 || 0.8 || 0.5 || 1.8 || 6.4

|- class="sortbottom"

| rowspan=2 align="left" | Career

| align="left" | 14 years, 2 teams

| 429 || 398 || 28.0 || .447 || .337 || .812 || 3.2 || 6.6 || 1.2 || 0.4 || 2.6 || 10.0

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;"| All-Star

| 5 || 1 || 15.6 || .550 || .333 || – || 2.6 || 5.2 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 1.4 || 5.0

{{S-end}}

{{WNBA player statistics start|caption=WNBA playoffs statistics}}

|-

| align="left" | 2013

| align="left" | Chicago

| 2 || 2 || 29.4 || .300 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.0 || 4.5 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 3.0 || 7.0

|-

| align="left" | 2014

| align="left" | Chicago

| 9 || 9 || 29.8 || .383 || .133 || .850 || 2.3 || 6.4 || 1.3 || 0.2 || 2.1 || 7.3

|-

| align="left" | 2015

| align="left" | Chicago

| 3 || 3 || 31.8 || .500 || .500 || 1.000 || 4.7 || 8.3|| 0.3 || 1.0 || 2.6 || 13.7

|-

| align="left" | 2016

| align="left" | Chicago

| 5 || 5 || 29.7 || .431 || .333 || 1.000 || 2.4 || 6.4 || 2.0 || 0.2 || 2.6 || 13.2

|-

| align="left" | 2019

| align="left" | Chicago

| 2 || 2 || 30.7 || .368 || .333 || — || 3.0 ||style="background:#D3D3D3"|11.5° || 1.0 || 1.0 || 3.0 || 8.0

|-

| align="left" | 2020

| align="left" | Chicago

| 1 || 1 || 36.0 || .500 || .500 || — || 4.0 || 6.0 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 2.0 || 12.0

|-

|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2021{{sup|†}}

| align="left" | Chicago

| 10 || 10 || 34.4 || .510 || .333 || .842 || 5.4 || 10.2 || 1.5 || 0.8 || 3.5 || 13.0

|-

| align="left" | 2022

| align="left" | Chicago

| 8 || 8 || 28.3 || .481 || .261 || .800 || 3.9 || 5.6 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 2.1 || 11.5

|-

| align="left" | 2023

| align="left" | New York

| 10 || 10 || 32.6 || .420 || .378 || .800 || 3.9 || 6.3 || 1.3 || 0.7 || 2.8 || 10.6

|-

|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2024{{sup|†}}

| align="left" | New York

| 11 || 0 || 14.3 || .435 || .385 || .929 || 2.4 || 2.5 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 5.3

|- class="sortbottom"

| align="left" | Career

| align="left" | 10 years, 2 teams

| 61 || 50 || 28.2 || .446 || .324 || .885 || 3.5 ||bgcolor="EOCEF2"|6.4{{double dagger}} || 1.2 || 0.5 || 2.4 || 9.8

{{s-end}}

{{WNBA player statistics start|caption=NCAA statistics}}

|-

| align="left" | 2007–08

| align="left" | Gonzaga{{cite web |url=http://www.gozags.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/gonz/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/08-gonz-wbaskbl-final-stats#00 |title=Gonzaga Bulldogs Combined Team Statistics (as of Mar 24, 2008) |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |format=PDF |date=March 24, 2008 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041720/http://www.gozags.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/gonz/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/08-gonz-wbaskbl-final-stats#00 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}

| 34 || 27 || 28.3 || .412 || .330 || .654 || 3.9 || 5.6 || 1.8 || 0.2|| 3.0 || 10.6

|-

| align="left" | 2008–09

| align="left" | Gonzaga{{cite web |url=http://www.gozags.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/gonz/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/0809-wbaskbl-cume-stats#00 |title=Gonzaga Bulldogs Combined Team Statistics (as of Mar 23, 2009) |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |format=PDF |date=March 23, 2009 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112515/http://www.gozags.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/gonz/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/0809-wbaskbl-cume-stats#00 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}

| 32 || 31 || 32.8 || .468 || .376 || .787 || 4.1 || 7.5 || 2.2 || 0.3 || 3.8 || 16.4

|-

| align="left" | 2009–10

| align="left" | Gonzaga{{cite web |url=http://www.gozags.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/gonz/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/0910-cumulative-stats |title=Gonzaga Bulldogs Combined Team Statistics (as of Mar 27, 2010) |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |format=PDF |date=March 27, 2010 |access-date=April 10, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

| 34 || 34 || 32.6 || .472 || .346 || .746 || 3.8 ||bgcolor=#cfecec|9.4* || 3.6 || 0.6 || 4.3 || 14.1

|-

| align="left" | 2010–11

| align="left" | Gonzaga{{cite web |url=http://www.gozags.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/gonz/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/cumulative-stats |title=Gonzaga Bulldogs Combined Team Statistics (as of Mar 28, 2011) |publisher=Gonzaga University Athletics |format=PDF |date=March 28, 2011 |access-date=April 10, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

| 36 || 36 || 32.9 || .486 || .378 || .831 || 3.7 ||bgcolor=#cfecec|10.2* || 3.2 || 0.3 || 3.3 || 19.8

|- class="sortbottom"

| colspan=2 align="center" | Career

| 136 || 128 || 32.9 || .463 || .358 || .769 || 3.8 || 8.2 || 2.7 || 0.3 || 3.3 || 11.8

{{S-end}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{commons}}

• {{Basketball stats}}
• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117143709/http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/vandersloot_courtney00.html |title=Gonzaga Bulldogs bio |date=mdy}}

{{Chicago Sky current roster}}

{{navboxes|list=

{{2011 WNBA draft}}

{{UMMC Ekaterinburg 2018–19 Euroleague Women champions}}

{{UMMC Ekaterinburg 2020–21 Euroleague Women champions}}

{{Fenerbahçe SK 2022–23 Euroleague Women champions}}

{{Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi 2016–17 EuroCup Women champions}}

{{Chicago Sky 2021 WNBA champions}}

{{New York Liberty 2024 WNBA champions}}

{{West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}

{{WNBA assists leaders}}

{{Nancy Lieberman Award}}

{{Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award}}

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vandersloot, Courtney}}

Category:1989 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people

Category:21st-century Hungarian sportswomen

Category:All-American college women's basketball players

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Turkey

Category:American LGBTQ sportspeople

Category:American women's basketball players

Category:Basketball players from King County, Washington

Category:Beşiktaş women's basketball players

Category:Chicago Sky draft picks

Category:Chicago Sky players

Category:Expatriate basketball people in Northern Cyprus

Category:Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball players

Category:Hungarian expatriate basketball people in Turkey

Category:Hungarian women's basketball players

Category:Kentwood High School (Washington) alumni

Category:LGBTQ basketball players

Category:LGBTQ people from Washington (state)

Category:Naturalised basketball players

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Category:New York Liberty players

Category:Point guards

Category:Sportspeople from Kent, Washington

Category:Unrivaled basketball players

Category:WNBA All-Stars

Category:ŽKK Novi Zagreb players