Record-breaking is no new term to describe WNBA legend Courtney Vandersloot, yet it is the perfect phrasing to encompass her pivotal return to the Chicago Sky after being sidelined due to injury for over a year.

Last year, Vandersloot came back home to Chicago after a short stint in New York to reignite the central core of leadership and inspiration that only she can bring to the Sky. However, an unexpected and unforeseen injury changed the course of the seasoned veteran.

After much anticipation and hard work, Vandersloot made her season debut on Friday, June 26 at home against the Fire in record-breaking fashion, just over a year since her injury on June 7, 2025. 

“I was just so excited to get out there,” Vanderloot commented on her return. “Once I got on the floor and was warming up it was all such a familiar feeling. I think the anticipation was the hardest part, and so I just wanted to get those first minutes out of the way because I’ve been working for a year for that exact moment.”

Despite being under a minutes restriction to ease back into her full capabilities, the 2021 WNBA champion has made the most of every minute. In her first game back, Vandersloot became the only player in league history to record 10 points and seven assists in fewer than 14 minutes. 

In her eagerly awaited debut, Vandersloot shot a perfect 100% across field goals, three-pointers and free throws. Her precision and efficiency is the exact fuel that the Sky was hoping for with her return.

“She was back tonight like she had never left,” head coach Tyler Marsh expressed after the triumphant 124-94 win. “Obviously she’s got a ways to go to feeling like herself but just being out there with her teammates, I think you can tell she was back in her happy place.”

It is impossible to ignore the confidence boost and energy shift that her health on the court not only brought herself but also the team as a whole. In her first game back, the Sky broke several records characterized by collaboration and efficiency from setting a league record of 38 assists by a single team in a game, to establishing a new franchise high for points in a game, to shooting the highest field goal percentage in Sky history and the third highest in the WNBA all time.

Center Kamilla Cardoso spoke on the revitalized spirit that Vandersloot brought to the team.

“Just having her out there is very different, [it’s a] different feeling, and it's very good for me. It makes me calmer,” Cardoso said.

This calm mentality powered Cardoso to have a career-outing, becoming the first center in league history to score 30+ points while shooting 100% from the field.

“We’ve seen the work that she’s put in to get back to where she’s at now,” head coach Tyler Marsh said. “It’s been a long year for her but she deserved this moment. She’s got a lot left in the tank and we’re just really happy for her and the perseverance that she’s shown. She embodies everything that this city is about. She means a lot to everyone in that locker room.”

With the five-time All-Star and franchise leader in points and assists back in full force, there is a new excitement for the Sky and what they can do. Coming off of a two-game win streak at home with a newfound spirit from Vandersloot’s return, the Sky has the potential to reach new heights.

“When I’m describing what a great offensive team looks like, I think that was on display tonight,” Vandersloot said Friday. “That was everybody doing their job. Like I said, we have a lot of good weapons and when everybody plays to their strengths then these kinds of nights can happen.

“We’re going to celebrate wins, but this was a really good one for us and a really good momentum shifter. We really know our identity and can build off this.”