The Golden State Valkyries are expected to be without three key players when they host the Seattle Storm on Saturday night in the continuation of the Commissioner’s Cup in San Francisco.
Among those expected to be away from the team at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 for potentially more than two weeks is Janelle Salaun of France. Salaun contributed 21 points for Golden State (4-5) in an 89-81 overtime road victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday.
The win improved the Valkyries’ record in Commissioner’s Cup play to 2-2 with two games remaining in conference play.
Julie Vanloo, who made her second start against the Sparks, will play for Belgium in the EuroBasket tournament, while Cecilia Zandalasini, who had 18 points in the Valkyries’ most recent home game — a 95-68 thrashing of the Las Vegas Aces — will represent Italy.
FIBA EuroBasket 2025, critical for European national teams attempting to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, concludes June 29.
“We have a plan. You have to be ready,” said Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, whose team added veteran free agent Aerial Powers to fill one of the roster vacancies. “Obviously we want them to go with their heart. We’re supporting if they want to go to Eurobasket; we’re supporting if they want to stay.”
The Valkyries’ roster also includes England native Temi Fagbenle and Carla Leite of France. Leite is expected to remain with Golden State, while Fagbenle is on England’s roster, but neither she nor the Valkyries have announced her intentions.
The Storm seem to have survived the exporting of WNBA talent, with Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga, a pair of French standouts, electing to stay with the club.
Seattle gained the upper hand in the Western Conference standings of the Commissioner’s Cup at 3-1 with a 94-84 home win over the previously unbeaten Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday. The win was the third in a row for Seattle (6-4).
The Storm and Lynx currently are tied for the West’s top spot in the Cup standings, with Seattle owning the tiebreaker edge. Each team has two games remaining, with the conference’s top club earning a spot in the Cup finals on July 1.
Seattle’s visit to San Francisco will be its first in the Valkyries’ inaugural season. It serves as a homecoming of sorts for former Stanford star Nneka Ogwumike, who had a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win over Minnesota.
The 14-year WNBA veteran, a Texas native, recognizes her decision to attend Stanford was life changing.
“I’m from Houston, so I’m Southern, (but) I’m officially a West Coast girl,” Ogwumike said. “I’ve been in the Bay (Area), I’ve been in L.A. (with the Sparks), and now I’m in the PNW (Pacific Northwest). The West Coast just feels good for me.”
–Field Level Media
