With several key players competing in EuroBasket, the Valkyries were shorthanded and had to add some players. They brought back Chloe Bibby, who went through training camp with the Valkyries but didn’t make the initial roster.
Since starting center Temi Fagbenle was representing Great Britain, Bibby immediately got minutes with Natalie Nakase’s squad. She made the most of her time on the court, proving that she belongs in the WNBA.
Chloe Bibby played two solid games with the Valkyries
The Australian forward made her WNBA regular-season debut against the Indiana Fever, helping the Valkyries to a massive win. Bibby went undrafted in the 2022 WNBA Draft and played eight minutes in a preseason game with the Minnesota Lynx. She didn’t make the team, however, and spent several seasons playing in Australia, where she had already played professionally as a teenager, Spain, and Poland. In Poland, she won a league MVP award.
Now, Bibby proved that she can also play well in the WNBA. In both games with the Valkyries, she played at least twenty minutes and recorded twelve and eleven points. Most of her shots came from behind the arc. Over two games, Bibby took twenty total field goals. Thirteen of those attempts were from three. Bibby converted five, shooting 33.3 and 42.9 percent from three.
Power forwards and centers who can space the floor are always in high demand in the WNBA. Bibby can do much more than just shoot threes, though. She also grabbed seven rebounds over her two games with the Valkyries and defended well. Bibby got her hands on three steals and fit right into the Vallyries’ defensive system.
Bibby may not get a chance to finish the season with the Valkyries
Even though Bibby played very well in her first two WNBA games, she may not be on the Valkyries’ roster for much longer. Temi Fagbenle will return to the team soon—her team didn’t make the EuroBasket quarterfinals—and take back a bunch of the minutes at the center position. Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Julie Vanloo are all still competing in EuroBasket but will also rejoin the Valkyries in the foreseeable future, reestablishing the team’s forward depth.
Once all of those players are back in Golden State, the Valkyries will have to let some go of the players they signed in the meantime. Since they waived Kyara Linskens, one of Bibby and Laeticia Amihere could stay with the team unless Iliana Rupert joins the team once EuroBasket concludes. The Valkyries selected Rupert in the expansion draft, but the French big is yet to make her debut in Golden State.
If the Valkyries waive Bibby, she should be on other teams’ radars, though.