The European Championship victory with the Belgian Cats has had a very bitter aftermath for Julie Vanloo (32). Shortly after landing in the US, our compatriot learned that she has to leave her WNBA team, the Golden State Valkyries. This also displeased Belgian Cats teammate Emma Meesseman. “This is crazy,” she wrote on Instagram.
Julie Vanloo was absent from the festivities following the Belgian Cats’ European Championship victory on Monday because she flew back to San Francisco just hours after the final to resume the WNBA season with the Golden State Valkyries.
But after an eighteen-hour journey, she received some very unpleasant news upon arrival in the US. The reason for the breakup is still unclear.
© Instagram
The Valkyries announced on Instagram that Vanloo has been “waived.” This means her current contract is terminated and she has to leave.
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Other teams will then have the opportunity, within 48 hours, to take over her contract under the existing terms. If that doesn’t happen, Vanloo will become a free agent and can negotiate with any team herself.
Vanloo was clearly surprised and devastated by the news. “I literally just landed,” she posted on Instagram. “I need time to process this and express my feelings. Right now, I can’t.”
The Valkyries’ announcement on social media was met with outraged reactions. One of them was from Emma Meesseman. “No… you’re making her miss a unique moment in Belgium. That’s foolish,” wrote the captain of the Belgian Cats, who herself played eight seasons in the WNBA.
Emma Meesseman’s reaction on Instagram. Emma Meesseman’s reaction on Instagram. © Instagram
“Never forget that athletes are people too,” she added later.
Linskens also gone
Vanloo was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in early December in the ‘Expansion Draft,’ where a new team selects players from other WNBA teams. The Washington Mystics protected six players; Vanloo wasn’t on that list and thus transferred to the Valkyries, but that adventure is now over.
Kyara Linskens, Vanloo’s teammate at the Belgian Cats, also played briefly for the Valkyries, but left the team at her own request just before the start of the European Championships.
