NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
July 23 – San Francisco
The Golden State Valkyries have impressed the league with their 10-12 start this season. They’ve sold out every home game, hustled against the best on the road, and are currently third in the WNBA with a 98.8% defensive rating. On Tuesday, their final roster addition, Iliana Rupert, joined the team for her first practice.
Rupert was selected by Golden State in the 2024 Expansion Draft from the Atlanta Dream and played 20 games in 2023. She was drafted 12th overall to the Las Vegas Aces in 2021 and won a championship with the club in 2022, alongside their then-assistant coach, Natalie Nakase. The two are now reunited in the Bay Area and are bringing Rupert up to speed before her first home game on Friday.
“I think my game can fit well,” Rupert said. “It’s a lot of fast-break shooting, a lot of movements. That’s what I love the most when the ball doesn’t really stop, and you have to make a lot of reads and shoot the three’s. That’s really what I’m good at.”
During France’s six games in the EuroBasket tournament, Rupert averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and shot 50% from the arc. Golden State will look to her to hit some clutch three’s and help pull defenders from under the basket.
Thanks to Rupert’s height, she can help with rim protection against other bigs in the league. However, she’ll need to improve at avoiding foul trouble, as she averaged 7.3 per 100 possessions in 2022, ranked 19th in the WNBA. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Rupert is familiar with multiple players on the Valkyries roster. Most recently, she played with Janelle Salaün at EuroBasket. She also played with Monique Billings and Laetecia Amihere in Atlanta, and of course, head coach Nakase in Vegas.
“She’s a really good coach, it suits her well.” Rupert shared. “We were very close in Vegas when she was an assistant, so coming here and having her as a coach obviously makes me feel more comfortable. I know that I can talk to her. She’s very open.”
