“Chicago Med” doesn’t often work with celebrity guest stars, preferring to use famous actors in small roles instead of letting people play themselves. But “Frost on Fire” is an exception to that rule; yes, that really was the WNBA’s Courtney Vandersloot who popped in for a visit.
The point guard shows up to give a boost to Kristen Thompson (Tatum Jones), a collegiate hoopster who’s being treated by John Frost (Darren Barnet) and one of the most divisive characters on “Chicago Med,” Dean Archer (Steven Weber), for an ACL tear and what looks like a drug overdose. Kristen claims she’s no addict and has only ever been on antidepressants — which she stopped taking because they never seem to work. In a One Chicago franchise crossover moment, Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon), the paramedic who brought Kristen in, says she was only given a small amount of fentanyl. That causes Frost to wonder if Novak accidentally gave Kristen an overdose. But a little medical digging reveals that Kristen is a rapid metabolizer: she’s able to absorb drugs into her system much more quickly than your average person, explaining both her OD and her resistance to antidepressants.
But Kristen still has to cope with her injured leg, which will require surgery. Frost — whose past as a child star once concealed a dark secret – uses his fame for good and makes some calls. Vandersloot arrives at the hospital soon after with a jersey in her hand, and Kristen is elated as she chats with her idol. With that, the day is saved — which Vandersloot typically does on the court.
Chicago Med was Courtney Vandersloot’s acting debut
This was Courtney Vandersloot’s first time acting, and she manages to acquit herself well as a performer. To add a dash of realism to her storyline, the show wrote her real-life ACL tear into the plot. Vandersloot’s injury occurred on June 7, 2025 and kept her out of league play for the majority of the season. She had surgery to repair the tear on June 24, 2025. Judging from her brief time at Chicago Gaffney Medical Center, it seems clear that she’s healing up well, entering the scene on her own two feet.
During her nearly 15-year career, Vandersloot has developed quite the name for herself as a player. She was drafted third by the Chicago Sky in 2011. During her rookie year, she put in an average of 3.7 assists per game, which made her 11th in the league. She’s had a solid on-court record ever since, helping lead the Sky to the WNBA Championship in 2021. Then, after a period of free agency, she joined the New York Liberty for two seasons, helping them score a league win in 2024. Currently back with the Sky, Vandersloot is still stuck on injured reserve as of this writing, but hopefully she’ll be back in action soon.
