There’s no bad blood between Courtney Vandersloot and the New York Liberty. It was simply time for the veteran guard to move on.
Vandersloot played two seasons with the Liberty after spending her first 12 seasons with the Chicago Sky. During her New York tenure, the Liberty made the WNBA Finals both years and won the 2024 WNBA title — the first championship in franchise history.
Vandersloot had a role on both teams but found herself relegated to a bench role during the 2024 playoffs. When she hit free agency after the season, she decided to return to Chicago.
“We decided at the end that it was time for me to move on,” Vandersloot said during an Unrivaled press conference on Thursday. “We have had conversations, and I was looking for something that they couldn’t give me. There’s nothing more to it. Like I said it was a great relationship. We still have a good relationship. We didn’t leave on bad terms.”
In 31 games with the Liberty in 2024, she averaged career lows in minutes played (22.3 per game) and points (6.4). Her 4.8 assists per game were her lowest mark since 2016.
Her minutes declined even more in the playoffs as head coach Sandy Brondello sought to shore up her rotations and ensure there was always a capable ball handler on the court.
“Just having the discussion, I had to trust Sloot wasn’t going to think about [coming off the bench]. It was going to help us with our best lineups at all times,” Brondello said at the time. “She wants to win. And that shows a lot about her mentality — whatever’s best for the team is best for her.”
Courtney Vandersloot left the Liberty on good terms
Though the decision to move on was mutual, Vandersloot says there is no bad blood between her and the team. She wasn’t looking for a promise of a starting spot or more playing time — she was just looking for the best situation for herself.
“In terms of promises, that’s not a thing I was looking for in free agency,” she said. “I was looking for an opportunity that worked out for me. My time in New York was special…I have really great relationships with everyone there. It was just a personal decision for me.”
But Vandersloot also acknowledged her changing role and a desire for something different.
“Obviously my role changed a lot and I was looking to be in a little bit different situation,” she said. “But I came there to win a championship with the players that I did and we were able to accomplish that, and so going into this FA I was just looking more to make a little bit more of a personal decision.”
The post Courtney Vandersloot reveals why she left the Liberty to return to Sky appeared first on ClutchPoints.
