In 2024, Julie Vanloo was one of the more unusual rookies in the WNBA. She made her league debut at 31 and was the oldest rookie in the W that year. After playing professionally in Europe for years, coming to the WNBA was still an adjustment, and Vanloo is still working to carve out a role for herself. After a solid rookie season with the Washington Mystics, Vanloo went to the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft. The team waived her after just nine games, and Vanloo finished the season as a reserve for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Shortly after the conclusion of the WNBA season, Vanloo continued her unusual journey. She made her EuroLeague debut at 32, making her much older than the typical rookie once again. Vanloo’s first few games with CBK Mersin weren’t great outings, but she has since found her groove, totalling 44 points and eight assists over her last two EuroLeague games.
Vanloo played her best EuroLeague games yet
Vanloo only scored a total of eight points in her first three EuroLeague games and all of them came in her first game. Her shot just wasn’t falling, especially from three. She rediscovered her shot in late October, making five 3-pointers on her way to 23 points in a much-needed win over Venezia. Vanloo followed that performance up with another 20-point game and 7-11 shooting from three against Basket Landes. Mersin lost that game, though.
Vanloo isn’t the only WNBA talent on Mersin’s roster. Tiffany Hayes, Luisa Geiselsöder, and Kennedy Burke are all on the roster as well. Burke leads the team in points and rebounds per game and Hayes contributes an average of 10.8 points per game. Geiselsöder had some solid performances, but missed Mersin’s last EuroLeague game. Despite all of that WNBA talent, Mersin is currently last in Group D and might join the EuroCup playoff round one instead of advancing in the EuroLeague competition.
Either way, Vanloo will look to deliver another strong performance after her last two EuroLeague games.
Vanloo continues to prove that everyone’s journey is different
The path to the WNBA seems relatively simple. Go to college, play well, and get drafted—or for international players: impress at a young age, play professionally in your country, and get drafted into the WNBA. That path doesn’t work out for everyone, especially with the limited roster spots in the W.
Vanloo continues to prove that taking a different path can still take you where you want to go. She first established herself as an interesting talent in Belgium in 2011, winning a Belgian National League Championship and the U18 EuroBasket tournament. After that, she got many other contracts all across Europe. Nevertheless, it took time for her to catch the attention of WNBA teams and make her EuroLeague debut.
Now that Vanloo has a foot in the door in the two major leagues in the U.S. and Europe, fans should continue to see a lot of her.