The Golden State Valkyries will be down a second player this month when Julie Vanloo departs the Bay Area for Europe during EuroBasket this month. The news was announced by Vanloo's club in Belgium, the Belgium Cats, on Facebook. "We are SOOO thrilled to announce that Julie Vanloo & will be joining the Belgian Cats to defend their title of European Champions," the team wrote.
Vanloo previously told French-language outlet DH Les Sports+ she was still weighing the decision to attend EuroBasket in mid-May. The decision will "be different for everyone," she explained, and will be impacted by "our WNBA schedule, our role on the team, our fitness, and the club's flexibility." The decision is a difficult one to make, she continued, and "the Valkyries aren't very keen on letting us go."
She isn't the only member of the team who will be missing in action. At the end of May, Janelle Salaün announced her decision to play in the tournament as well. On May 13 Carla Leite confirmed she will not return to play for France this summer.
Leite shared a photo of herself in a Valkyries uniform in her Instagram Story and offered an explanation in French. A translation reads, "It is with great regret that I announce that I will not be able to participate in the EuroBasket 2025 campaign with the French team due to my commitments to the WNBA club."
"I will remain the first supporter of the Blues and I wish them a wonderful competition!!" Leite added.
EuroBasket 2025: an explainer
This year's EuroBasket will take place June 18-29 and is the first hosted by four countries (Czechia, Germany, Greece, and Italy), which will hopefully make the competition more accessible for fans who want to attend games.
The list of qualified countries includes France, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Portugal, Great Britain, Lithuania, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovakia, Latvia, Hungary, Belgium, Montenegro, and Slovenia. Five Valkyries — Carla Leite, Janelle Salaün, Temi Fagbenle, Julie Vanloo, and Kyara Linskens — are expected to represent their teams (France for Leite and Salaün, Great Britain for Fagbenle and Belgium for Vanloo and Linskens).
The Valkyries will still have a strong roster this month
While the loss of Vanloo and Salaün will certainly be noticed and felt this month, the Valkyries still have a strong roster and will be able to perform well even with those absences. Vanloo has been a key player for the team throughout this season, and Salaün has started several games for Golden State.