Liberty Keep Courtney Vandersloot Close Amidst Absence

BROOKLYN-The New York Liberty offered a mental hand to Courtney Vandersloot, one of the WNBA’s all-time assist queens, after a thrilling victory over the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon.

Vandersloot has missed each of the Liberty’s last three games due to personal reasons. The veteran point guard appeared to be with the team during Thursday’s win in Atlanta but was not on the sidelines for either game of a victorious weekend, including the 93-88 Sunday triumph that closed out the Liberty’s 2024 Commissioner’s Cup slate.

When Breanna Stewart walked off the Mohegan Sun Arena floor following Saturday’s win in Connecticut, she partly dedicated the win to Vandersloot. Well-wishes continued to flow for the Liberty on Sunday, which marked their return to Barclays Center after a three-game road trip.

“We’re playing for her. She’s a part of this team. She anchors us,” fellow guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “We’re not the same without her. I hope she knows, I know she knows and feels that, every time we’re stepping out on the floor, everything that we’re doing, she’s right there with us. We know she has that fire and we don’t want to let her down. So we were doing all that for her.”

“We’re all in this together. She’s a valuable teammate and we love her and support her,” head coach Sandy Brondello added. “We look forward to when she’s coming but for right now she’s in our thoughts and prayers.”

Vandersloot, 35, was part of the headlining haul the Liberty brought in prior to last season. Formerly of Chicago, Vandersloot has appeared in each of the last three WNBA All-Star Gams and currently ranks second in all-time assists behind only Sue Bird. She was averaging 7.6 points and 5.3 assists prior to her departure.

Even though Vandersloot is out, she has left a sizable impact on familar and new teammates alike, as evidenced by those who continue to keep her in their minds while she’s kept off the floor.

“We’re constantly thinking of her,” Stewart added after Sunday’s win over Washington. “We miss her. We love her. We are continuing to kind of do it for her and we’re holding it down for her here while while she’s away.”

“We love her, no matter what,” first-year New Yorker Kennedy Burke further declared. “She has to take her time because we know she’s going through a tough time right now. We love here, we’re here for her always.”

Following the jam-packed Commissioner’s Cup slate, the Liberty (11-2) return to action over the weekend, when they face the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

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