Former Kentwood High star Vandersloot makes acting debut

Published 1:26 pm Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Former Kentwood High School basketball star Courtney Vandersloot made her national television acting debut when she played herself in a recent episode of the NBC series “Chicago Med.”

Vandersloot, 36, who has played 13 seasons with the Chicago Sky of the WNBA, made a guest appearance in an episode 10 of season 11 that aired on Jan. 21. Invited by a doctor on the show, Vandersloot visited the fictional medical center in Chicago to surprise a fictional college basketball player who suffered a knee injury.

The show listed Vandersloot’s name as an actor on the show during the early part of the episode. She then appeared briefly in the hospital room of the injured player, who said Vandersloot had been her idol.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your knee,” Vandersloot said to the player. “I tore my ACL this past summer in a game against the Indiana Fever.”

The player replied that she had watched that game and saw the injury.

“Yeah it was a huge bummer to have to miss the rest of the season, but I’m working really hard postsurgery, and I’m going to be back on the court next season stronger than ever,” Vandersloot said.

Vandersloot gave a jersey to the player and they hugged to close out the scene.

Vandersloot did indeed hurt her knee last year and missed the rest of the WNBA season with the Sky. She suffered a right torn anterior crucial ligament (ACL) June 7 against Indiana. She signed a one-year contract with Chicago last year and hopes to return to the team this season when her knee is healed.

She played in 2023 and 2024 with the New York Liberty, which won the league title in 2024. The point guard spent her first 12 years in the league with Chicago, which won the title in 2021. She was the No. 3 overall pick by the Sky in the 2011 WNBA Draft after starring at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

At Kentwood, Vandersloot led the Conquerors to a 28-1 mark her senior season in 2007 and a third-place finish at state, with the only loss in the Class 4A state semifinals. She led the state in scoring with an average of 26 points per game. She also averaged 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals per game.