Courtney Vandersloot Bio
Courtney Vandersloot (born February 8, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Chicago Sky of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). A five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA champion, she is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in league history. Vandersloot holds the WNBA’s all-time records for assists per game in a season (10.0) and in a career (6.6), and she ranks first in total playoff assists.
In addition to her WNBA accomplishments, Vandersloot has played professionally in Turkey, Poland, Russia, and Hungary, building one of the most decorated résumés among American guards of her era. Off the court, she is married to fellow basketball player Allie Quigley, and the couple announced the birth of their first child in May 2025.
Early Life and Background
Courtney Vandersloot was born on February 8, 1989, in Kent, Washington, a Seattle suburb where both of her parents worked for Boeing. She grew up in a neighborhood filled with children her own age, and she has said that “all we did was play sports, all sports.” Her father built a sports court behind the family home, but she preferred a hoop in front of a neighbor’s house where other kids could see her play, and she often competed against boys.
As a child, Vandersloot played basketball and several other sports, including fast-pitch softball, with her team finishing as runner-up in a Washington state tournament when she was 11. Her favorite sport, however, was soccer; she kept a poster of Mia Hamm on her bedroom wall and dreamed of attending the University of North Carolina. During the third grade, she wrote a school paper about her goal of one day playing in the WNBA.
Vandersloot attended Kentwood High School, where she became a basketball star under coach Keith Hennig. She blossomed as a senior, averaging 26 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals while leading Kentwood to a third-place finish at the Washington Class 4A state tournament. She was named the state’s player of the year by the Seattle Times and was rated as the No. 64 national prospect by Scout.com.
Path to Professional Basketball
Vandersloot’s path to the professional ranks began at Gonzaga University, where she signed in November 2006 after head coach Kelly Graves offered her a scholarship. As a freshman in 2007–08, she was named West Coast Conference newcomer of the year and earned a spot on the All-WCC first team. She worked closely throughout her college career with Hall of Famer John Stockton, who became a trusted mentor.
Across four seasons, Vandersloot became the most decorated player in Gonzaga women’s basketball history. She won three WCC Player of the Year awards and three WCC Tournament MVPs, led Division I in assists as a junior with 9.4 per game, and set school records for career assists. In her senior season, she guided the Bulldogs to their first Elite Eight appearance and became the first NCAA Division I player to record 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career.
Her senior honors included the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, the Nancy Lieberman Award, a Wooden All-America selection, and USBWA All-America honors, all firsts for a WCC women’s player. She was drafted third overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2011 WNBA Draft, and on February 11, 2023, Gonzaga retired her jersey, making her the first women’s player in program history to receive that honor.
Courtney Vandersloot Career
Early Career (2011–2013)
Vandersloot opened her WNBA career as the Sky’s starting point guard, starting 26 of 34 games as a rookie. She averaged 3.7 assists per game, ranked 11th in the league and second among rookies, and was named an Eastern Conference reserve for the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game. She was also selected to the 2011 WNBA All-Rookie Team, earning 10 of 11 possible votes from the league’s head coaches.
She became a regular starter in subsequent seasons, anchoring a Sky team that returned to the playoffs for three straight years beginning in 2013. During the WNBA offseason, Vandersloot played internationally in Turkey, joining Beşiktaş in 2011 and later competing for Wisła Can-Pack in Poland, a common path for WNBA players seeking to extend their seasons and earning power.
Chicago Sky Breakthrough (2014–2021)
The 2014 season marked Vandersloot’s first as the WNBA’s assists leader, averaging 5.7 per game, and she helped lead the Sky to the 2014 WNBA Finals, where they were swept by the Phoenix Mercury. She repeated as the league’s assists leader in 2015, paced the WNBA in total assists, and earned All-WNBA Second Team honors.
In 2017, she set the single-season WNBA assists-per-game record at 8.1, then raised it again to 8.6 in 2018, a year in which she became the seventh player in league history to record a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists in a win over the Dallas Wings. She broke her own record with 9.1 assists per game in 2019, was named an All-Star, and helped the Sky reach the playoffs. In the shortened 2020 season held at IMG Academy, she set a new league mark of 10.0 assists per game.
Vandersloot’s defining moment came in 2021, when she started all 32 games, led the league with 8.6 assists per game, and guided the Sky to their first WNBA championship with a Finals victory over the Phoenix Mercury. Across the 2021 postseason, she averaged 10.2 assists and 13.0 points per game, cementing her reputation as a clutch playoff performer.
New York Liberty Era (2023–2024)
After becoming a free agent following the 2022 season, Vandersloot signed with the New York Liberty in February 2023. She helped the Liberty reach the 2023 WNBA Finals, where they finished as runners-up to the Las Vegas Aces, and earned Jordan Rising Stars MVP honors during All-Star Weekend. In January 2023, she also signed with Turkish club Fenerbahçe for the European season.
In 2024, Vandersloot played a key role as the Liberty won their first WNBA championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the Finals. She dedicated the season to her mother, Jan Vandersloot, who passed away in mid-summer 2024. Following the championship, she joined the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a women’s 3-on-3 league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
Return to Chicago Sky (2025)
Vandersloot returned to the Chicago Sky in 2025, reuniting with the franchise that drafted her. On June 7, 2025, she suffered a right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during a game against the Indiana Fever, and the following day the team announced she would undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season. Despite the injury, her mid-career return underscored her enduring value as a leader and playmaker.
Driving Style and Strengths
Vandersloot is widely praised for her court vision, tempo control, and pick-and-roll mastery. NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton once compared her favorably to Wayne Gretzky in hockey, noting that something set her apart from her peers. Her ability to deliver precise passes under pressure and to manage late-game situations has defined her career and made her one of the most efficient facilitators in WNBA history.
Notable Events and Milestones
Vandersloot is the WNBA’s all-time leader in playoff assists and the league record-holder for assists per game in both a single season (10.0) and a career (6.6). She became the seventh player in league history to record a triple-double, the first NCAA Division I player with 2,000 points and 1,000 assists, and the first Gonzaga women’s player to have her jersey retired. She has also won two WNBA championships, in 2021 and 2024, with two different franchises.
Courtney Vandersloot Career Wins
Across her WNBA career, Courtney Vandersloot has been a model of sustained excellence, leading the league in assists seven times and earning All-Star recognition on five occasions. She has captured two WNBA championships, one WNBA Commissioner’s Cup title, and a WNBA assists title in 2023 while helping a third franchise to a Finals appearance.
Chicago Sky Highlights
Vandersloot played her first 11 WNBA seasons with the Chicago Sky, leading the franchise to its first championship in 2021 and to a Finals appearance in 2014. She set the Sky’s all-time marks for games played, points, assists, and steals, and was named to the All-Rookie Team in 2011.
New York Liberty Highlights
In her first season with the Liberty in 2023, Vandersloot helped the team reach the WNBA Finals and was named Jordan Rising Stars MVP. In 2024, she was part of the Liberty squad that won the franchise’s first WNBA championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx.
Other Wins and Performances
Vandersloot has won league championships in Turkey with Beşiktaş and Yakin Doğu Üniversitesi, in Russia with UMMC Ekaterinburg, and has competed in the Polish, Hungarian, and Turkish leagues, including a stint with Fenerbahçe in 2022–23. She also joined the inaugural season of Unrivaled in late 2024 and won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship in 2023.
Courtney Vandersloot Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Courtney Vandersloot was raised in Kent, Washington, by parents who both worked for Boeing and encouraged her athletic development from a young age. Her father built a sports court behind their home, and her mother, Jan Vandersloot, remained a central figure throughout her career until her passing in mid-summer 2024. Vandersloot has credited her family with shaping her competitive drive.
Personal Life
On December 27, 2018, Vandersloot married Chicago Sky teammate Allie Quigley in a ceremony near her hometown of Kent, Washington. The couple announced the birth of their first child in May 2025.
2025 Season Performance
Vandersloot began the 2025 season with the Chicago Sky after returning to the franchise in the offseason. Her comeback season, however, was cut short on June 7 when she suffered a right ACL tear during a game against the Indiana Fever, and the team announced the following day that she would undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the year.
Despite the abrupt end to her campaign, Vandersloot’s brief appearances reinforced her continued value as a veteran leader and elite passer. Her presence was expected to mentor the Sky’s younger guards and stabilize the offense, and the team now faces the task of integrating her return into long-term plans once she completes rehabilitation.
Looking ahead, Vandersloot is expected to resume her role as the Sky’s floor general in 2026 once she has recovered from surgery. Her championship pedigree, record-setting passing ability, and history of postseason performance make her central to the franchise’s competitive outlook in the seasons to come.