The Golden State Valkyries are still riding an enormous high after winning the WNBA Championship this postseason, but at least one member of the team isn't actually as happy as she's seemed. Guard Juste Jocyte has made it clear in at least two interviews given to European outlets that she's not pleased with how her first season in the WNBA unfolded.
Jocyte was selected by the Valkyries as the team's first-ever pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She spent that season overseas in Europe, where she continued to develop her game, and made her way to the Bay Area to play with the Valkyries this year. Though Jocyte didn't get the minutes she was used to in Europe, she was still a key contributor throughout the season for the team.
But she didn't contribute to their WNBA Finals win, and from what she's said since then, it sounds like she's now unsure if she wants to return to play for the Valkyries — or even to play in the WNBA at all.
A translation of an interview given to an outlet in Lithuania makes it clear that Jocyte wishes she had been given more minutes on the floor this season. In the translation, Jocyte admits to feeling angry that she didn't: "I wanted time and a role to feel like part of the team. Now that summer turned out to be very interesting and only in the playoffs did I come to terms with it, although I still have a lot of anger, but I came to terms with it and somehow it was easier to accept the situation."
Jocyte also said that head coach Natalie Nakase and her staff had "a lot of excuses" for why she wasn't playing well. Those apparently included the physicality of the WNBA and needing to learn combinations and plays. But Jocyte doesn't sound like she buys it. She said, "A lot of excuses that I didn't even want to hear. I didn't understand the real reason. It happened that way and you can't change anything."
The interviewer then noted that Jocyte wanted to return to the Valkyries. She said, "I don't know anyone who would want to come back with a smile after a season like this." She also said that she isn't sure "why they wanted me to become the most physical player in a week."
Juste Jocyte's narrative runs counter to everything Golden State has said
Jocyte's experience of the 2026 season offers a stark contrast to what so many other members of the team and the coaching staff have said, especially since the team won the WNBA Finals just over a week ago. It's also potentially a stunning conclusion to a draft decision that first baffled — and then excited — fans. It's not remotely unusual for European players who are drafted to the WNBA to need time to grow their skills.
Jocyte may not even end up back in the WNBA at all. As she also said, "I am young and I am not in a hurry to return to America, because my dream country is not there."
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