EuroBasket is still raging across the pond, but there might be one player who will be back in the US before fans know it: Golden State Valkyries center Temi Fágbénlé, who is representing Great Britain in the tournament, will likely be heading back to San Francisco this week.
Great Britain will play Germany Sunday, and the Germans are heavily favored to win. Germany is joined in their effort by the Liberty's Leonie Fiebich, who has led the team to strong tournament performance. And while a loss would be sad news for Britain, it would be great news for the Valkyries, because it will mean Fágbénlé will report back to the team within 48 hours of the team's loss.
EuroBasket 2025 is already seeing impressive results
This year's EuroBasket has been exciting so far, and the teams are not yet in the elimination stage. The first stage of the tournament has been hosted in Piraeus, Greece; Hamburg, Germany; Brno, Czechia; and Bologna, Italy. Piraeus will also host the elimination stage of the tournament (quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals) when it begins on June 24.
In addition to Fiebich and Fágbénlé, there are several WNBA players participating in EuroBasket this year. Luisa Geiselsöder is representing Germany, Julie Allemand and Julie Vanloo are playing for Belgium, Janelle Salaün is playing for France, Jessica Shepard is representing Slovenia, Teaira McCowan is playing for Turkey, and Cecilia Zandalasini is representing Italy.
(There are also a few NCAA athletes in the tournament as well, including Louisvlle's Elif Istanbulluoglu and Cal's Ioanna Krimili.)
Expectations for Temi Fágbénlé have been high
The Valkyries added Fágbénlé to the team during December's Expansion Draft. Her availability was a bit of a surprise — she averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Indiana Fever last season, and was a solid member of the team.
But the Fever's loss has proven to be the Valkyries' gain (Fágbénlé also put in a strong season with Besiktas in Turkey during the offseason). Ahead of the season, coach Natalie Nakase emphasized everything would bring to the team, including her shooting capabilities as well as dominating the post. The team isn't known for their size, and at 6'4" Fágbénlé has been able to adjust to playing as a stretch big.
The Valkyries have been on a bit of a tear the last few weeks are are coming off of an 88-77 win over the Fever on June 20. The team will play the Sun today and the Liberty on June 25. While it's unlikely Fágbénlé will be ready to hit the floor in time for that game, she should definitely be back for the team's June 27 game in Chicago against the Sky.