Golden State Valkyries Make Roster Decision on WNBA Champion
Golden State Valkyries Make Roster Decision on WNBA Champion originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Golden State Valkyries snapped a four-game skid with a dominant 95-68 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, bolstered by Kayla Thornton's double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, Cecilia Zandalasini's 18 points and Veronica Burton's 12 assists.
Advertisement
That victory improved the Valkyries to a 3-5 record in their inaugural 2025 campaign.
On Sunday, the Valkyries announced the temporary suspension of forward Zandalasini's contract to allow her to represent Italy at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, which runs from June 18-29 across venues in the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Greece.
The competition will determine continental supremacy and serve as a qualifier for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, with Italy's squad relying heavily on Zandalasini's WNBA experience.
Zandalasini enters her first season with Golden State after being selected from the Minnesota Lynx roster in the December 2024 expansion draft.
Advertisement
In her four appearances (two starts) this year, she's averaged 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 23.0 minutes per game.
A decorated international talent, Zandalasini was a WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx in 2017, WNBA Commissioner's Cup champion (2024) and MVP of the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.
She has also won multiple Turkish league and cup titles with Fenerbahçe (2019, 2020, 2021) and an Italian Supercup crown (2023).
Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15) speaks to teammates.Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Zandalasini's departure will leave a 10-point-per-game scoring void at the small-forward spot and test Golden State's young depth.
Management has signaled that Zandalasini will rejoin the roster immediately after Italy's EuroBasket run, but with eight games between now and the end of the month, she leaves a significant hole to fill.
Advertisement
Related: Chicago Sky Coach Sends Message After Angel Reese Decision
Related: Indiana Fever Star Gets Technical Foul Against Mystics
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WNBA Gives Shoutout to Mystics Star Following 1st Commissioner's Cup Victory
WNBA Gives Shoutout to Mystics Star Following 1st Commissioner's Cup Victory originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Sunday, the Washington Mystics snapped their three-game losing streak and had a 104-67 victory over the Connecticut Sun. The Mystics are coming off an 86-78 loss against the New York Liberty on Thursday. The team improved to a 4-6 record and secured their first win in the Commissioner's Cup. Advertisement The rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, combined for 23 points. Citron added three rebounds, four assists and two steals on 50% shooting from the field. Iriafen, on the other hand, had five rebounds and two assists. But the story of the evening was the excellent performance from Brittney Sykes. The 31-year-old guard continues to show off her brilliant play on the court. Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes reacts after a three-point Suanes-Imagn Images Sykes led the team with 28 points, three rebounds and six assists. She shot 50% from the field and 93.3% from the free throw line. She bounced back after logging just seven points on 2-for-9 shooting in their contest against the Liberty. Advertisement After her outing against the Sun, Sykes was recognized by the WNBA. She now has the most 20-point games in the league this season with seven. "Brittney Sykes put up 28 PTS, 3 REB, & 6 AST in the Mystics' dominant 37-PT win over the Sun to claim their first Commissioner's Cup victory!" the WNBA posted on X. "She now has the most 20+ PT games in the league this season." For the first time in her career, Sykes is the leading scorer. She's averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in eight games. Following the contest, Citron had high praise for her veteran teammate. Advertisement 'I think from her performance today,' the rookie said. 'Her aggressiveness, but then her ability to also create for her teammates.' The Mystics will continue with the Commissioner's Cup on Sunday, June 15, against the Atlanta Dream. Related: Mystics Catch Break After Fever Announce Unfortunate Caitlin Clark News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mystics Rookies Outplay No. 1 WNBA Pick in Scoring Feat
Mystics Rookies Outplay No. 1 WNBA Pick in Scoring Feat originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Sunday, the Washington Mystics had a 104-67 victory over the Connecticut Sun, snapping their three-game losing streak. It was their first win of the Commissioner's Cup, led by Brittney Sykes. The veteran guard had 28 points and six assists on 14-for-15 shooting from the free throw line. Advertisement Before their regular-season contest, the New York Liberty handed the Mystics their sixth loss of the 2025 WNBA campaign. The rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, did their best to try and beat the defending champions. Citron had 13 points and Iriafen added 17. Against the Sun, they continued to score like veteran players. The former Notre Dame player had 11 points in 27 minutes of action. The rookie forward, meanwhile, finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Atlanta Dream forward Nia Coffey dribbles the ball as Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen and Mystics guard Sonia Burke-Imagn Images Following the contest, the rookie duo logged their 10th game of double-digit scoring, according to StatMuse. They each have more games where they had at least 10 or more points. Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick of this year's draft, had six games of double-digit scoring. Citron is averaging 14 points and 4.4 rebounds on 40.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Her teammate, Iriafen, is averaging 14.9 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Dallas Wings' rookie has appeared in six games, averaging 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Advertisement The Mystics' rookies have caught the attention of the masses with their strong start. According to Candace Pedraza, the team's success has a lot to do with the youngsters. "The duo has been tearing teams apart in transition, with Citron an ever-looming scoring threat from three point range and with Iriafen consistently giving opposing teams' bigs their 'welcome to the 2025 rookie class' moments," Pedraza wrote. They're among the favorites to win the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. As long as they remain consistent, Citron and Iriafen have shown that they belong in the league. Related: WNBA Gives Shoutout to Mystics Star Following 1st Commissioner's Cup Victory This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stuttgart take interest in Norwegian attacking midfield talent
Dennis Bayer and Sweden's Sportbladet report that Stuttgart are among the potential suitors for Norwegian attacking midfielder Tobias Fjeld Gulliksen. The Bundesliga outfit continues to prepare for the likely departure of Enzo Millot. Gulliksen has raised his profile at Swedish first division side Djurgårdens IF and could be available for around €5m. Bayer notes that there are other clubs interested in Gulliksen. Even if the transfer fee appears relatively modest, Stuttgart may wish to keep their outlays low after shelling out a record sum to acquire Stade Rennes fullback Lorenz Assignon. Advertisement It is also rumored that Stuttgart wish to fill their needs in the ten slot with Bayern Munich's Paul Wanner. The German-Austrian talent could be procured much cheaper via a loan fee in the six-figures'-range. There are also some whispers in the rumor mills that the Swabians explore the possibility of bringing former SC Freiburg academy man Noah Darvich back to Baden-Württemberg. The 18-year-old Freiburg-native moved to Barcelona in August 2023 and currently features for the Barça reserves. GGFN | Peter Weis