This chapter book about the WNBA superstar covers her early years, college career, and WNBA career with the Chicago Sky, including a championship (but was published before her latest position with the New York Liberty).
When Vandersloot breaks the league’s per-game assist record with the help of teammate Allie Quigley, the book notes, “The record meant a lot to both players. That’s because Quigley was both Vandersloot’s teammate and wife. When they married in 2018, the couple was the second active married couple in the league.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t say who the first was. (Answer: Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, although Taylor was a coach by that point, not a player.)
The book ventures into dangerous territory, though, by continuing, “For Vandersloot, the chance to team up with her best friend on the record breaker was the cherry on top,” which is a little close to old euphemisms about same-sex couples being just “friends”—but many married couples do consider each other best friends, and the book is also crystal clear that they are married, so I’m going to interpret this as a comment about their deep bond as a couple, not as a euphemism. Later, too, there’s a sidebar on Quigley that notes, “She met Vandersloot at the Sky’s training camp. Five years later, the two married. They helped each other become better players.” And when the book discusses the “bubble” that WNBA players had to stay in during the COVID pandemic, it observes, “The bubble was easier for Vandersloot. That was because she had Quigley at her side after practices and games.”
With extensive photographs, sidebars, quiz questions, a glossary, additional resources, and more, it’s an engaging learning resource.
