At 31 years old, Washington Mystics guard Julie Vanloo is the WNBA’s oldest rookie. How did she start playing in the league past the age that most rookies do? The answer is simple — Julie Vanloo made it happen.
Five years post-WNBA championship, the Washington Mystics are transforming. There’s no Natasha Cloud, Elena Delle Donne or even Kristi Toliver who will walk through that door and suddenly help the Mystics be better. (It’s a full-on REBUILD.)
But, the Mystics have several young pieces to be excited about, like Aaliyah Edwards, who they picked up in the 2024 WNBA Draft and 31-year-old Belgian hooper Julie Vanloo. Per Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post, Vanloo decided before her 30th birthday that she wanted to play in the WNBA. This is what she shared about her dream:
“I just wanted to live with no regrets,” she said Tuesday. “And I just wanted to do everything I could to do it. And if it didn’t happen, then at least I tried everything.”
Keep shinin' rook 🤩
31-year-old rookie Julie Vanloo makes a big contribution for the @WashMystics, extending their lead to 7
WNBA Tip-Off Presented by @CarMax 🏀 pic.twitter.com/9avW11PqN4
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 18, 2024
Vanloo’s extensive basketball career, which includes winning a Eurobasket championship with the Belgian national team, caught the eye of Mystics general manager Mike Thibault. Thibault had been scouting Vanloo’s team for years as part of his responsibilities with USA Basketball.
As Vanloo’s game evolved, so did Washington’s interest in her. She signed with the team in February, and three games into the season, she started her first game after veteran Brittney Sykes went down with an ankle injury.
Apparently Julie Vanloo was working on her pregame daps with DiDi Richards for her first start. Source is @jennhatfield1 pic.twitter.com/zIL8t8lUto
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) May 19, 2024
“It was definitely something special,” Vanoloo told Copeland. “You’re starting in the WNBA — I never thought that would even happen this year.”
