June 6, 2025
Locked On Women’s Basketball: How EuroBasket will impact the Valkyries
By The Next
Why EuroBasket will lead to a very difficult month for the Golden State Valkyries
It’s time for another episode of the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast! In this episode, host and The Next’s New York Liberty beat reporter Jackie Powell is joined by Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle. Powell and Ingemi discuss the upcoming departures as many international players will depart for EuroBasket to represent their countries in Czechia, Germany, Italy and Greece.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
The Golden State Valkyries will be especially impacted by these departures, thanks to their highly international roster construction. Games begin June 18, but even before the games begin, there will be departures from WNBA teams as the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) gives players as many as two weeks of training with their national teams before games start.
Ingemi on what EuroBasket means to European players:
There’s a lot of national pride for these women’s basketball players. When I was talking to [Cecilia] Zandalasini, who’s Italian, I asked her, ‘Hey, are you going to Eurobasket?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, we’re hosting part of it in Italy. I wouldn’t miss that for anything.’ It really just matters a lot for them to have the chance to represent their country.
Save 30% when you order “Becoming Caitlin Clark”
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
Ingemi on how the Valkyries are preparing for these absences:
[Golden State head coach Natalie] Nakase has been pretty mum about it. She hasn’t really said that much about what they’re planning on doing. Pretty obviously, they’re going to need some hardship contracts. They’ll be left with eight players on their roster, and … not that much size, so they will have to do something. General manager Ohemaa Nyanin has talked a lot about EuroBasket, and being aware when it is and having a plan. [They haven’t] really disclosed what that [plan] is, but they’ve been thinking about it.
To stay up to date with every episode of the podcast, subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch up on all our WNBA coverage here.
Tune in to Locked On Women’s Basketball
Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
