Basketball
4 July, 2025
Bibby a Valkyrie no more
She was, she wasn't and then she was again, but as of Tuesday morning Australian time, Chloe Bibby is no longer a Golden State Valkyrie after being released by the WNBA franchise for the second time this year.
The US league's newest team, based in San Francisco, California, announced its decision via its social media channels, posting: "Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have waived forward Chloe Bibby. Thank you, Chloe."
For her part, Bibby quickly shared the post with her own 18,400 followers, adding, "Thank you @valkyries" accompanied by the grateful hands and purple heart emojis.
The club later added a brief statement to its website, noting: "Bibby saw action in five games for the Valkyries this season, averaging 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest."
After signing with the Valkyries in the first week of February, Bibby participated in training and two preseason games before being cut from the squad.
However, the 6'2" forward returned to San Francisco last month and was re-signed on June 15 – the day of her 27th birthday.
Bibby made her WNBA debut at home in the stadium known affectionately as 'Ballhalla' against Indiana Fever on June 19, scoring 12 points, taking four rebounds and making two asists as a reserve.
She also played off the bench against Connecticut Sun, New York Liberty, Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm.
In the last of the five consecutive games, she was allowed only five minutes on court against Seattle, taking one rebound.
Her brief return to Golden State coincided with the European championships, during which time several established Valkyries were absent from the US representing their home countries.
When the tournament concluded, Bibby was one of three players cut from the 12-woman roster to make way for their return.
Her fellow Valkyrie Julie Vanloo played for Belgium in its EuroBasket gold-medal triumph on Sunday and skipped the post-match celebrations to travel for 18 hours back to San Francisco only to learn on landing Monday afternoon local time that she had also been delisted.
Born in Horsham and raised in Warracknabeal, Bibby has been voted most valuable player in the Polish and Spanish women's national basketball leagues in the past two seasons.
In the aftermath of the Valkyries' announcement, fans in the US began speculating online about where Bibby might next appear.
"I was impressed with Chloe Bibby's mins on the Valks. She truly looks like she can help out a team," one wrote.
"Chloe Bibby would fit well on the (Indiana) Fever," another commented.
A third referred to her role as an Australian Opal: "Bibby is in Asia Cup. It's possible nobody gets her if she chooses to rest up for the WNBL season that starts around September. If not, she's a shooter so I imagine the (Los Angeles) Sparks would want her too. (Dallas) Wings get next dibs so certainly them."
Bibby was named in May as one of 12 Opals to contest the Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, from July 13 to 20 in the lead-up to next year's basketball world championships.
Read More: Warracknabeal, Horsham