Vandersloot made her Chicago homecoming this season after signing with the Sky as a free agent. Her return was a welcome move on both sides. The Sky needed Vandersloot as much as she craved comfort. Vandersloot was coming off a challenging season with the Liberty that came to a bittersweet end.

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Liberty forward Kennedy Burke didn’t know she was breaking a WNBA record Thursday when she fired up a 3 in the fourth quarter.

The Chicago Sky did not have their best performance to open up the 2025 WNBA season. They fell at the hands of the Indiana Fever by a lopsided score of 93 to 58.This was especially disappointing because of all the offseason moves that the franchise made.

Photos from the Chicago Sky’s home opener against the New York Liberty on May 22, 2025, at Wintrust Arena. A young fan watches through the guardrail as Sky guards Kia Nurse, left, and Rebecca Allen sign autographs before a game against the Liberty on May 22, 2025, at Wintrust Arena. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The Liberty have looked the part of defending champions through the first week of action. New York beat the Aces by 14 points in its season opener Saturday before throttling the Sky by 25 points Thursday in Chicago.

The 25-point defeat combined with a 35-point demolition by Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in its opening game gives Chicago the worst point differential (-60) through the first two games of a season in WNBA history.