The WNBA season is about to conclude, but the biggest competition in Europe is about to begin, with the 2025-26 EuroLeague Women competition tipping off on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Some WNBA players have already
moved to Europe, while some former WNBA athletes have been there for some time, preparing to shine on their continent following extended breaks. Here are four big names to watch for in this year’s competition:
Nika Mühl (Sopron Basket)
The Nika Mühl comeback has officially begun.
She’s finally healthy and while playing limited minutes, has been putting up impressive numbers. In the three Hungary-A Division league games for Sopron Basket, all decisive wins, she’s averaged 9.7 points, five rebounds 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 18 minutes of action, with only one turnover per game.
The expectations for Mühl and her team are high. At age 24, she’s about to make her EuroLeague Women debut, and following the unwanted break from basketball, it seems that she welcomes the pressure and is hungry to show just how good of a player she is.
Dominique Malonga (Fenerbahçe Opet)
What a year Dominique Malonga is having!
At 19, she debuted in the WNBA and had a very good rookie year for the Seattle Storm, capped off with an All-Rookie Team selection. She became the youngest player in league history to record a double-double and averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on a playoff team.
Now, she’s about to make her EuroLeague debut on perennial competition favorites, Fenerbahçe Opet. Last year, she played for LDLC ASVEL Féminin in the EuroCup Women competition (a step below the EuroLeague) and averaged 18.5 points and 11 boards. She probably won’t be able to repeat those numbers, but expect a solid showing from the second overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Dorka Juhász (Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring)
After deciding to sit out the 2025 WNBA season after two years of non-stop play, Dorka Juhász is well-rested and back on a new team, the Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray.
Her current team dismantled the competition in the qualifiers, as Juhász averaged 11.5 points, 11 boards and 4.5 dimes in the two games against Sepsi, sharing frontcourt obligations with Awak Kuier, who’s also a player to watch. Watching the two players play underneath both baskets will indeed be interesting and that cooperation will be crucial for the team’s success.
Julie Vanloo (ÇİMSA ÇBK Mersin)
Can you believe that Julie Vanloo never played in EuroLeague?
At 32, she’s about to change that, following a somewhat confusing season in the WNBA, which began on the Golden State Valkyries and ended on the Los Angeles Sparks, with a lengthy luggage wait in front of Barclays Center in between. And let’s not forget the EuroBasket Women gold medal she won along the way with Belgium.
In two WNBA seasons, the vet has already played for three teams and has yet to play over 24 minutes per game, but Europe is her true playground. Last year, she helped Galatasaray shoot back to relevance, averaging 12.5 points and 8.4 assists per game in Turkish Super League games, and 8.3 points and 7.1 dimes in EuroCup contests. Now on Mersin, a club that has previously relied on the playmaking talents of Yvonne Anderson and Marina Mabrey, she’ll be looking to bounce back after a tumultuous year in America.
