‘Aggressive and confident’: After years of growth overseas, Chloe Bibby is ready for her opportunity with the Golden State Valkyries

The Phoenix Mercury have three of these players this season alone in Kathryn Westbeld, Lexi Held and Kitija Laksa, all of whom graduated from college in 2022 or earlier. Recently, rookies have started their WNBA careers after turning 30, with players like Julie Vanloo, Shey Peddy and Rebekah Gardner having an impact on their WNBA teams despite making their league debut a lot later than most.

As the newest team in league, the Golden State Valkyries invited a few players who fit this bill to their training camp. However, only one, Kyara Linskens, stuck with the team, and she was waived just a few weeks into the regular season. It was around this time that four of the Valkyries’ key contributors headed to Europe to compete in EuroBasket.

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With the departure of these players, an opportunity was created for Golden State to bring back some of those players who didn’t make it through training camp. One such player was Chloe Bibby. Bibby, who graduated from Maryland in 2022, went undrafted after college but was invited to Minnesota Lynx training camp. She played in just one preseason game before being waived by the Lynx. However, in just three games with the Valkyries, she has come off the bench to make a major impact and shown she’s ready to play in the WNBA.

“I was just really excited, to be honest,” Bibby told The Next. “Obviously, I hadn’t had an opportunity in a couple years. So just to be able to get this opportunity, I felt really grateful and just, keen for the chance. I think [I’ve tried to have] the same [mindset the second time], to be honest, just aggressive and confident. They brought me back for a reason, so I think just having faith in that and staying humble has kept me feeling good.”

Bibby, a native of Victoria, Australia, was known as an excellent shooter coming out of college. Her 6’2 frame also made her a great floor spacing forward. During her junior year at Maryland, she knocked down 57 threes, including a career high five threes in a game against Arkansas. In the preseason, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase raved about Bibby’s shooting, especially her quick release for someone of her size.

After not making the Lynx back in 2022, Bibby went back to Australia and played for the Perth Lynx in the WNBL. In Perth, she had an excellent season and helped lead the team to a second-place finish in the league. Bibby wanted to continue to grow her game, so when the opportunity to play in Europe presented itself, she took it. She also admits she has a bit of a travel bug, so playing overseas was a win-win for her.

“She played in Australia her first year out of college, and then she’s been playing in Europe,” Valkyries teammate and fellow Aussie Stephanie Talbot said of Bibby. “To see the growth from that first year out of college to now is amazing. She’s always been able to shoot the ball, and to have a four man that can space the floor and shoot like that is incredible. But then it’s the rest of her game that she’s really worked on, the rebounding, the defending and making the right reads.”

Bibby spent the 2023-24 season playing in Poland for AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski. She led the team in scoring, averaging 21 points, six rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. She hit 39% of her threes, on six three-point attempts per game, led the team to a second-place finish in the Polish league and was ultimately named league MVP. Her success in Poland drew the eyes of a bigger club in a better league, Spar Girona in Spain.

Girona has been very successful in European leagues and competitions. Over the last 11 seasons, they have finished in the top 3 of the Spanish Liga Femenina nine times. They also consistently play in EuroLeague or EuroCup, the top two leagues for basketball in Europe. The move to Girona was big for Bibby, but she was ready for the challenge.

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During the 2024-25 Liga Femenina season, Bibby averaged 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. She hit 74 threes and shot 45% from beyond the arc on almost 5.5 attempts per game, helping lead Girona to a regular season title. Bibby finished the season as the second leading scorer and won the league’s MVP award. The growth Bibby put into her game during her two seasons in Europe are a major reason why she got another opportunity in the WNBA.

“I think just playing in Europe, you kind of have a lot of pressure on you,” Bibby said. “If you’re going to win a game, you need to go out there, score buckets and create for your teammates. So, being put in that position myself, I think it really gave me the opportunity to grow and work on my game. I was in those situations a lot where I had to score so we could win, and I kind of just embraced it and loved it. I think that’s why I’ve just improved so much, and it’s really translated here.”

Bibby says she came to Valkyries training camp excited for the opportunity to be a part of Golden State’s inaugural season. She came in confident in herself and wanted to be aggressive, attacking the opportunity in front of her. Though she worked hard, Bibby didn’t see a lot of time in the preseason games, only playing around eight minutes in both the games against the Sparks and Mercury, and was ultimately cut on May 14.

Despite being cut, Bibby kept working. She went back to Australia and got back in the gym. Then, on June 15, after Golden State suspended Temi Fagbenle for her to compete in EuroBasket, the Valkyries announced they had brought Bibby back. She didn’t play in her first game with the team against Dallas, but on June 17, seven minutes into a game against the Fever, Bibby checked in for the first time.

In her first WNBA game, Bibby made a huge impact off the bench. In almost 24 minutes of game time, she scored 12 points, knocked down two threes and grabbed a couple of rebounds as well. When she was on the floor in the late third and early fourth quarter, the Valkyries outscored the Fever 24-11. During that time, the Valkyries turned a double-digit deficit into a lead they never relinquished. That night, Bibby showed she could do more than just shoot the ball, and Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase knows her versatility is her biggest weapon.

“Spacing the floor, that’s part of our philosophy, right? ” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told reporters. “So, she fits in really well with the fact that she’s a big that can space the floor. But then, you know, on the other end, she’s really physical. She can get rebounds. So yeah, Chloe is like a Swiss Army knife.”

The 12 points she scored against the Fever were the second most ever scored by a player making their WNBA debut after turning 27 since 2015. Bibby got another opportunity to shine on Sunday against the Connecticut Sun and she didn’t disappoint. She scored 11 points in 19 minutes of action, hitting three triples and securing four boards.

On Wednesday night against the Liberty, Bibby still found a way to impact the game despite not seeing many minutes, with one three-pointer and two rebounds. Over her three games, Bibby is averaging 8.7 points, 3 rebounds and an assist while shooting 43% from three. Her impact off the bench has been key for the Valkyries during the first three games of this home stand.

The reason Bibby has been able to make an immediate positive impact is she fits the mold of a Golden State post players. Nakase wants the Valkyries to “let it fly” from deep and Bibby’s ability to screen and pop is ideal for this system. She does a great job of screening and then finding the open space created by the guard driving to get open shots. She also is a versatile player, like a lot of Valkyries, and can score all over the court. Bibby also passes the ball well and can defend at a high level around the rim.

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Whether or not Bibby stays on the Valkyries after EuroBasket is over remains to be seen. Three other Golden State players will be playing for their national team through June 29, so at minimum Bibby will get two more opportunities to show off her game in a WNBA uniform. However, if she stays, she will miss some time in order to represent Australia in the Asia Cup, which takes place July 13-20. Bibby has represented the Opals many times but never takes for granted how special the opportunity is.

“I’m really excited. I’ve been with Opals a couple times now, and it’s always an honor to put on the jersey,” Bibby said of playing for the Australian National team. “I feel really special every time I get to put that jersey on, especially at those big events. Berlin is next year, and then, you know, the Olympics is in a couple [years] and so it’s just staying ready for that. Australia is just so competitive with the people that we have. So, just making sure I’m ready for that, and hopefully I’m lucky enough to give it a crack.”

Australia has historically produced some of the best players in women’s basketball, from Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor to today’s stars like Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb. For Bibby, putting on the same jersey worn by those greats is always an honor. She knows how competitive the team is, but also knows the experience she’s gained during this stint with the Valkyries and overseas has prepared her for it.

Bibby has shown, through her first three WNBA games, that she can make an impact in the league. Her versatile skill set fits perfectly with what the league is looking for right now from a forward. Whether she continues with the Valkyries or finds a way onto another team, her short time with Golden State has proven she’s ready for this stage.

“I’m just competitive,” Bibby said. “I think over the years, with having that and growing that confidence in my shot to where if I get it and I’m open, and I know that’s the right shot, I’m gonna shoot it, and I feel confident with that … I’d love to have a stint in the W, I’d like to be here full time. That’s obviously a goal, it’s the best league in the world for a reason. I’d also love to compete in Olympics and just keep growing my game.”