Justė Jocytė won’t join WNBA this year

The first ever draft pick in Golden State Valkyries history, Lithuanian wing Juste Jocyte (1.84m, 19 years old) told Basket Europe that she won’t join the California franchise in 2025.

A prodigy with a meteoric career, Justė Jocytė joined ASVEL women’s team at age 13. At the same age, she was already wearing Lithuania’s jersey in Women’s EuroBasket qualification games. Everything moved very quickly for her, coming off a good season under Yoann Cabioc’h, ASVEL women’s head coach and former Chicago Sky assistant coach in the WNBA. She was able to « have the ball in half-court to express herself and use her excellent court vision » in the French championship and EuroCup, describes Yoann Cabioc’h to Le Roster media.

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Priority to national team and Euroleague

But this time, Jocytė chose patience. She will leave the Lyon-based club to sign with Girona in Spain, which plays at the higher European level. « Next year, I will play in Euroleague » recalls the player, who prefers to focus on this first step before crossing the Atlantic. The Lithuanian international will also have important games on the European stage this summer, wearing the national jersey. The wing should be a key player for the Lithuanian national team at EuroBasket 2025, which she hopes to play fully, as a favorite.

Understanding what this means for their player, the Golden State Valkyries accepted Justė Jocytė’s choice, who doesn’t hide her desire to join them later: « I can’t wait to start in 2026 » she assures, eagerly.