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Courtney Vandersloot joins stacked New York Liberty roster

Courtney Vandersloot spent her first 12 seasons with the Chicago Sky. (Kena Krutsinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

Courtney Vandersloot is signing with the New York Liberty, adding another jewel to their offseason crown.

The 33-year-old point guard announced her WNBA free agency destination Thursday afternoon via her personal Twitter account. She had spent the first 12 seasons of her career with the Chicago Sky, but she revealed her plan to sign elsewhere earlier this week.

“Although I never planned for this day to come, I have decided that it is time for me to pursue a new beginning,” Vandersloot wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday, though she did not specify her landing spot at the time.

With the Liberty, Vandersloot joins a superteam in the making.

Breanna Stewart announced her intention to join the Liberty to open the free agency signing period Wednesday. New York also added 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones from the Connecticut Sun with a blockbuster trade in January.

During the introductory press conference for Jones, general manager Jonathan Kolb said the Liberty planned to be “very aggressive” in free agency. He has delivered on that promise, landing two of the top free agents in the class.

Reports had tied Vandersloot’s negotiations to those of Stewart, though Stewart did not pressure the point guard after she announced her own plan to sign with the Liberty.

“My message to Sloot is she knows I love to play with her, but I’m going to support her in any decision she makes,” Stewart said.

Still, Stewart must approve of the addition of Vandersloot, as the 28-year-old forward reportedly will accept “substantially less” money from New York to facilitate the signing.

Vandersloot also recently signed with Turkish club Fenerbahçe, the same club Stewart is playing for this WNBA offseason. When Vandersloot heads to Turkey later this month, fans will get a preview of their partnership ahead of the 2023 WNBA season.

While Vandersloot was linked to the Seattle Storm on Wednesday afternoon, her agent debunked that rumor, saying the point guard had not yet made her decision. In signing with the Liberty, she leaves the Storm and the Sky in need of starting point guards.

Since the Sky made Vandersloot the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Gonzaga, she has been one of the best at her position in the league. She has led the league in assists six times in 12 seasons, and she has averaged 6.6 assists per game in her career.

The four-time All-Star helped lead the Sky to the 2021 WNBA championship alongside teammate and wife Allie Quigley, who announced Wednesday that she would sit out the 2023 season. The departures of Vandersloot and Quigley, as well as Candace Parker and Azurá Stevens, leave Chicago with just a shell of their 2021 championship roster.

Seattle Reign Defender Sofia Huerta Invests in USL Super League Team AC Boise

Seattle Reign defender Sofia Huerta speaks to media after a 2025 NWSL match.
Seattle Reign defender Sofia Huerta joined the ownership group of USL Super League 2026 expansion team Athletic Club Boise on Tuesday. (Elsa/NWSL via Getty Images)

NWSL veteran Sofia Huerta is expanding her investment portfolio, with the Seattle Reign defender joining the ownership group of incoming USL Super League side Athletic Club Boise this week.

"I wasn't sure something like this would ever happen in Boise — so when the opportunity came, it was an easy decision," the Idaho product said in Tuesday's USL press release. "This community is how I got where I am today."

"Soccer has given me so much, and this club is building something that will give those opportunities to others," the 32-year-old continued. "The foundation Athletic Club Boise is laying — with the men's team in 2026 and the women's Gainbridge Super League team in 2027 — makes me proud to invest in the future of soccer here at home."

"Sofia represents exactly what we want this club to be — talented, ambitious, and deeply connected to the Northwest," added the incoming club's fellow co-owner Kasey Keller.

Huerta is now the first NWSL player to directly invest in the growing USL Super League, which serves as a top-flight US pro league alongside the NWSL.

That said, some of Huerta's Reign teammates have already crossed league lines, with Lauren Barnes, Jess Fishlock, and Olivia Van der Jagt buying into the semi-pro USL W League's Seattle-based team, Salmon Bay FC, last year.

Notre Dame Star Hannah Hidalgo Vows to Step Up After “Underachieving” NCAA Season

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo looks on during ACC media day ahead of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season.
Notre Dame junior guard Hannah Hidalgo plans to step into a leadership role with the Irish in the upcoming 2025/26 NCAA basketball season. (William Howard/Imagn Images)

Notre Dame basketball star Hannah Hidalgo took the mic this week, telling reporters at Tuesday's ACC Media Day that she's eager to erase the memory of last season's March Madness crash-out.

"Knowing how much talent we had last year and underachieving like we did was something that was heartbreaking," the junior guard said, explaining that the one-time No. 1 Fighting Irish lost focus ahead of their Sweet 16 tournament exit.

Hidalgo, whose 23.8 points per game made her the fifth most prolific scorer in the NCAA last season, also vowed to step up as a leader this year in light of Notre Dame losing standouts Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld to the WNBA and fellow star guard Olivia Miles in a transfer to TCU.

"I know how to get the best out of my teammates, I know the steps that I need to take and the things that I need to do," said Hidalgo, dismissing questions about her rumored rift with Miles. "One of the most important things is building that relationship and that connection with my teammates off the court. It's bigger than basketball."

"I know the weight of [the spotlight] is heavy," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said of Hidalgo's role. "But I feel like she has done a great job of surrounding herself with the right network."

OL Lyonnes Beats Reigning Champs Arsenal in 2025/26 Champions League Opener

OL Lyonnes attacker Melchie Dumornay and midfielder Lindsey Heaps celebrate one of Dumornay's two goals during their league phase opener in 2025/26 Champions League play.
A first-half brace from attacker Melchie Dumornay secured OL Lyonnes the win over UWCL defending champions Arsenal. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

OL Lyonnes scored some UEFA Champions League revenge on Tuesday, upending reigning UWCL champs Arsenal 2-1 in the powerhouse pair's 2025/26 league phase opener in London.

In a rematch of last season's Champions League semifinal, Haiti international Melchie Dumornay sealed the OL Lyonnes result with a first-half brace for the French titans, quickly countering Arsenal forward Alessia Russo's seventh-minute strike.

"Errors happen from time to time, but if they happen too often, of course, there's something there," noted Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers, referencing the defensive mistakes that led to both OL Lyonnes goals. "Sometimes it's intangible or hard to put your finger on because it's a mixture of things."

"We won't get too high [or] too low in this situation," the Gunners manager continued, adding "the team went through hard times last year as well, and then we ended the season on a high with an amazing achievement in the Champions League."

OL Lyonnes weren't the only opening-day league phase victors, as Juventus took down Benfica 2-1 while 2024/25 runners-up Barcelona demolished Bundesliga side Bayern Munich 7-1 behind a pair of braces from attackers Ewa Pajor and Clàudia Pina.

Unlike previous iterations, the 2025/26 Champions League format does not include first-round rematches, with each team facing six different opponents before advancing to the knockouts.

How to watch 2025/26 Champions League games

UWCL league phase opening matches conclude with five games on Wednesday, with WSL winners Chelsea FC kicking off the action against Dutch side FC Twente at 12:45 PM ET.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.

WNBA Star Napheesa Collier Tells VP Kamala Harris She’s ‘Fed Up’ with League Leadership

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier looks up during a 2025 WNBA semifinal.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier explained the intent behind last week's viral exit interview to Kamala Harris on Monday. (Ellen Schmidt/NBAE via Getty Images)

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier was back on stage this week, opening up about her viral exit interview blasting WNBA leadership to former US Vice President Kamala Harris at the "A Day of Unreasonable Conversation" summit in LA on Monday.

"For so long, we tried to have these conversations and move the needle," she said. "And I saw nothing was changing."

"I think I just got to the point where I was fed up [with WNBA leadership]," Collier told Harris. "Whether I was going to get annihilated for this, or people were gonna support me, I felt like what I was doing was right."

Collier also doubled down on her position, publicly cancelling a meeting with Cathy Engelbert after the WNBA commissioner denied Collier's account of a past conversation regarding Caitlin Clark and rookie compensation.

"For [Engelbert] to start her speech saying she has the utmost respect for me and for the players, and then to turn around and call me a liar three minutes later... I think it just speaks to that lack of accountability and so I really have nothing further to say [to her]," Collier told Axios on Monday, confirming the meeting's cancellation.

While both Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver have committed to repairing relationships between players and league leadership, Collier's recent outspokenness shows just how much ground there is to cover.

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