Audio By Carbonatix
Julie Vanloo had the wildest week in the WNBA. The 32-year-old started her week as a member of the Golden State Valkyries only to finish the week as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks.
Although it is not uncommon for players to move teams in the middle of the season through waivers and/or a trade, this saga is unlike any other.
Vanloo won a European championship with Team Belgium in epic comeback fashion on Sunday. Golden State, like many WNBA teams, was not thrilled with her decision to report for international duty in the middle of the regular season. The Valkyries could not cut her for leaving but they did threaten a trade.
As it would turn out, they later decided to cut Vanloo while she was overseas. They waited until she got back to the United States to break the news for visa purposes. The timing was unfortunate.
Team Belgium flew from the EuroBasket tournament to Brussels for a huge celebration on Monday. The whole city showed out to party with the back-to-back European champs.
Julie Vanloo was not with them. She immediately got on a plane to fly 18 hours back to California. She was immediately cut upon her arrival. Her Belgian teammates were outraged with the poor treatment. Head coach Natalie Nakase thought the entire situation was handled with the utmost respect.
Regardless of whether it was the right or wrong approach, Vanloo was made available on waivers. The Los Angeles Sparks immediately put in a claim. Their claim was successfully processed on Thursday.
When we heard that the Valkyries waived [Julie Vanloo], I immediately said to our GM, “let’s see if we can get her.” So, we signed her!
— Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts
However, the team was not sure the claim would be processed in time for tipoff against the Liberty so Vanloo was temporarily stuck in limbo. The free agent flew across the country to New York City and waited outside of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with her luggage until the official confirmation from the WNBA that she had had been awarded on waivers. Fortunately, the claim was processed.
I still can’t believe it. So much happened in such a short amount of time. I’m still processing everything. Thank you EVERYONE for supporting me through this rollercoaster. This was a huge game changer to never give up. Now I’m going to rest and relax because I’m exausted.
— Julie Vanloo
Julie Vanloo played two minutes for Los Angeles on Thursday night after a wild week of extreme ups and downs. And she also gets to play alongside Julie Allemand. The Sparks have the entire Belgian backcourt!