The New York Liberty have waived guard Julie Vanloo, who was on a hardship contract with the club. But, Vanloo turned to social media to express her gratitude for the tenure.
Another WNBA guard has been waived, but this time is different
Julie Vanloo was cut by the New York Liberty, the team announced on Friday. But, she made clear she has no hard feelings.
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
“I’m totally okay with it,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “I knew from the start it would likely be short, and New York was amazing with their communication throughout the entire process. Very respectful.”
Through five games, Vanloo averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 assists per game.
Vanloo, 33, has played for the Washington Mystics, Golden State Valkyries, and Los Angeles Sparks over the past two years. Last year, she was waived by the Valkyries midseason, before joining the Sparks for the rest of the year. Vanloo was with the Sparks for training camp, but was cut before the regular season roster was finalized.
But, she signed with the Liberty, and poured in 12 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds in the season opener, a 106-75 victory over the Connecticut Sun.
“It was a tough week,” Vanloo said after that game, per The Associated Press’s Doug Feinberg. “I’m a little bit overwhelmed, and I’m just trying to take it all in. Just being waived, trying to stay positive, trying to stay confident. I had a lot of conversations with my family and my close people, and I really wanted to give up and go home because I was exhausted from a long season overseas and from giving everything I had in training camp.”
Her tenure ending likely means that Sabrina Ionescu, who has yet to play this season with a left foot injury, will soon make her debut. The team has otherwise leaned on rookie Pauline Astier at the point guard position, with Ionescu and Rebecca Allen (left leg injury) both sidelined.
Whether Vanloo will get picked up by another WNBA team remains to be seen. But during her brief Liberty tenure, Vanloo made her mark, finishing with the league’s 10th-most assists per game (5.4) and the 8th-best three-point percentage (50%).
Still, she joins a long list of players whose future is uncertain.
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