The Chicago Sky brought back one of the greatest players in franchise history, and Angel Reese, the team's most popular player, is pumped up about it.

This past offseason, the Sky signed Courtney Vandersloot, who had spent the previous two seasons with the New York Liberty, with whom she won her second WNBA championship last year. Before signing with the Liberty during the 2023 offseason, Vandersloot played her first 12 seasons in the league with Chicago.

Vandersloot's return has excited many fans, and Reese, a Sky first-round pick a year ago, is among those eager to play alongside Sloot in a Sky uniform.

“It has been great to have Sloot back,” Reese said, via the team's X account. “She's a great vet, she sees things and does things that may not show up on the statsheet… She's been a great leader.

“It has been a great transition coming from last year to this year… I love Sloot. I know everyone is happy to have her back. She's made my life easier.”

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Last season, her second in New York, Vandersloot had inarguably the worst year of her WNBA career. Playing a career-low minutes per game (22.3), Vandersloot also posted career-lows in points (6.4), 3-point percentage (26.9%), and free-throw percentage (54.8%). She also saw her playing time cut massively in the postseason to 14.3 minutes per game, and she averaged 5.3 points and 2.5 assists in the playoffs, all career lows.

Chicago certainly hopes Vandersloot, 36, can turn back the proverbial clock a bit to when she last played for the Sky. In 2022, Vandersloot averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while leading the Sky to a 26-10 record, which was good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference. Despite being the second seed, Chicago was eliminated in the semifinals by the Connecticut Sun in a five-game series.

In addition to Vandersloot returning, the Sky have retooled their roster over the offseason after the second-worst season in franchise history. Chicago signed Kia Nurse and drafted Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld, who both signed rookie contracts with the Sky. In February, they also acquired Rebecca Allen and Ariel Atkins.

The Sky are set to play the Minnesota Lynx in preseason games on May 6 and 10 before opening the season vs. the Indiana Fever on May 17.