Golden State Valkyries guard Julie Vanloo's Instagram Story from Sunday to Monday is one of hope and heartbreak. By the time you read this article the story may not be available to watch any longer, so here are the details, via Vanloo's Instagram.
It begins with images of Vanloo preparing to fly back to San Francisco after EuroBasket. There are also shared images of people saying they missed Vanloo in San Francisco during her time away from the team. Additionally, Vanloo shared heartwarming images/videos of her time at EuroBasket. The story proceeded to display an image from an airplane showing San Francisco.
"BACK IN FOG CITYYYYY," Vanloo wrote.
The next image was a selfie Vanloo took with a filter and the following caption: "18 hrs later," she wrote. "Made it."
Up to this point, Valoo's IG Story was filled with excitement, fun images/videos and good memories of her time at EuroBasket. However, the Valkyries then announced that Vanloo had been waived from the team.
The surprising news led to a heartbreaking reaction from the 32-year-old.
"Literally just touched down in the bay. I need some time to process all of this man and put my feels into words. I can't write now," Vanloo wrote, with multiple heartbreak emojis following her words.
Sports journalism doesn't typically focus on a player's Instagram Story. In this specific scenario, though, the Story tells fans everything they need to know. Vanloo was excited to re-join her WNBA team after representing Belgium at EuroBasket. She was fresh off an 18-hour flight upon learning of the news.
One has to wonder why Golden State couldn't have made the announcement a day or two earlier? They don't play again until Saturday, so the team also could have waited another day or two to at least allow Valoo to recover from the long flight.
Yes, the Valkyries are the WNBA's latest expansion team. Perhaps they are still making the adjustment to breaking the news of big transactions in the league. However, it should go without saying that announcing a player has been waived immediately after they flew back to San Francisco from out of the country is not the most professional approach to the situation.
It's especially unfortunate as the Valkyries have impressed on the floor in 2025. At 9-7, Golden State has silenced many doubters. Yet, at the moment, many fans around the WNBA world are upset with the team given this situation with Vanloo.
Vanloo could receive another opportunity with a team soon. At the moment, though, she will try to "process" the surprising development that occurred on Monday.