Julie Vanloo's Luggage Wait Before Joining Sparks vs Liberty Sums Up Saga
On June 30, news broke that the Golden State Valkyries had cut veteran guard Julie Vanloo. This announcement came while Vanloo was on a plane flight back to the San Francisco Bay Area after having been in Europe, playing for Team Belgium in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament.
The Valkyries received a lot of criticism for deciding to cut Vanloo in this way, and Vanloo made her frustration about how Golden State handled this whole situation apparent with a social media post that included her writing, "Honestly, that stung. I understand it’s business, but nothing prepares you for the loneliness that comes with getting cut. It feels like the whole world suddenly crashes on your shoulders."
However, it didn't take long for Vanloo to find a new home, as it was announced on July 3 that she had been signed by the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Los Angeles Sparks have signed guard Julie Vanloo.
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) July 3, 2025
The Sparks are playing the New York Liberty on July 3, and Vanloo immediately came to join her new team. However, per an X post from Alfred Corriette added a fascinating wrinkle to Vanloo actually joining Los Angeles, which wrote, "Coach Roberts in the pregame presser said that Vanloo was waiting outside of Barclays Center with her luggage until the official confirmation that she was awarded on waivers".
Coach Roberts in the pregame presser said that Vanloo was waiting outside of Barclays Center with her luggage until the official confirmation that she was awarded on waivers
— Alford Corriette (@alfcorriette) July 3, 2025
Q: @DougFeinberg https://t.co/25LbXRbucN
What's more, photos of Vanloo doing exactly this have since surfaced on social media. ESPN's Sean Hurd posted a photo of Vanloo waiting with her luggage outside the arena, right next to a photo of her warming up in Sparks attire before Thursday's game. He said the two photos were taken 25 minutes from each other.
When I arrived at Barclays, Julie Vanloo was waiting outside the arena
— Sean Hurd (@seanahurd) July 3, 2025
25 minutes later, she's on the court taking shots for the Sparks
🤯 https://t.co/JI8spbvgqQ pic.twitter.com/567wxmXBn3
After what must have been a hectic few days, Vanloo is surely just happy to be with a new team.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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