Former Kentwood High School star Courtney Vandersloot won her second WNBA title on Sunday, Oct. 20, this time with the New York Liberty.
The Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime in Game 5 of the series in Brooklyn. Vandersloot won a championship in 2021 with the Chicago Sky.
During a postgame interview with the Associated Press, Vandersloot said the victory was as much for the great Liberty players of the past as the current team. Former Liberty stars Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks were in the crowd to watch the win.
“I told her I hope you enjoy this because this is for you,” Vandersloot said she told Weatherspoon. “You laid the foundation and, you know, sometimes it doesn’t show right away. … I hope she feels appreciated because, you know, she kind of started this and now the city has won and that can never be taken away.”
The Liberty won their first title since the team began in 1997.
Vandersloot played a reserve role in the playoffs after starting at point guard most of the regular season. She averaged 14 minutes, 5.3 points and 2.5 assists in the playoffs. She averaged 22 minutes, 6.4 points and 4.8 assists during the regular season.
Vandersloot missed several games this season after her mother, Janet Vandersloot, 67, of Gig Harbor, died June 15 of multiple myeloma.
Vandersloot, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones each joined the Liberty two years ago in an effort to bring a title to New York. The Liberty lost in the finals last year to Las Vegas.
“The wait was so, so, so worth it,” said Stewart, a former Seattle Storm star, during her Associated Press interview. “We talked about it two years ago when it was free agency, and we wanted to come together. You look back and me, JJ, (Courtney Vandersloot), we all came together to win a championship. Last year we lost in the Finals. But look at us, now we’re here.”
Vandersloot, 35, is a free agent. Several online reports speculated that she might retire. She has not announced her future plans.
Besides winning two WNBA titles, Vandersloot is a five-time WNBA all-star; made the all-rookie team; twice made the all-WNBA first team; three times made the second team; and seven times led the league in assists. She ranks second in WNBA career assists behind former Seattle Storm star Sue Bird.
At Kentwood, Vandersloot led the Conquerors to a 28-1 mark her senior season in 2007 and a third-place finish at state. She led the state in scoring when she averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 steals per game.
She then played for Gonzaga University in Spokane before being drafted third overall in the 2011 WNBA draft by Chicago.
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Courtney Vandersloot of the WNBA champion New York LIberty and a former Kentwood High School star. COURTESY PHOTO, WNBA
