The Golden State Valkyries picked up former Fever star Temi Fagbenle as part of the team's Expansion Draft in December, but recent news has indicated that she might not actually come Bayside to play in the team this year.
In March, several outlets reported that Fagbenle, whose brother is on the Hulu series Handmaid's Tale, had been cast in the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone. While the news is excellent for fans of the book, it's less than great for Valkyries fans who hoped to see Fagbenle on the court this year.
Temi Fagbenle might miss the 2025 season
Fagbenle has yet to ink a contract with the Valkyries, and it's entirely possible she plans to sit out the 2025 season and wait to see how CBA negotiations impact the WNBA moving forward. In addition to her role in the movie, she's also an active member of Great Britain's national team and is expected to participate in EuroBasket this summer.
EuroBasket is scheduled for June 18-29, just over a month after the beginning of the WNBA season. Athletes who plan to play in the tournament will leave their WNBA teams early so they can train with their national teams, and are required to return back to the league within two days after thier their time in the tournament has finished.
At least six members of the Valkyries (Carla Leite, Janelle Salaün, Iliana Rupert, Fagbenle, Julie Vanloo, and Kyara Linskens) are expected to represent their countries this summer (in addition to Fagbenle's Great Britain, the countries include France for Leite, Rupert, and Salaün and Belgium for Vanloo and Linskens).
What is Children of Blood and Bone?
Apart from the potential impact on the Valkyries and the 2025 season, Fagbenle's casting in the film version of the popular book Children of Blood and Bone is really fun news for the basketball star. The Gina Prince-Bythewood-directed movie is based on the 2018 book of the same name by author Tomi Adeyemi, and the movie also stars Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo and Amandla Stenberg.
The story focuses on Zélie Adebola, a feisty and stubborn young woman who has the gift of the maji (magic users) and lives in the kingdom of Orïsha. She enlists the help of her brother and two unlikely allies to take down a brutal monarchy that has oppressed the maji and other inhabitants of Orïsha for years.