“Languages were the most important thing, because that would take me to the next level in basketball. I was very, very motivated to learn languages,” said Julie Vanloo, who made her WNBA debut at the age of 31—an age when most players are in their prime or already seasoned veterans. But Vanloo’s journey is anything but ordinary. The Belgian National Team point guard was handpicked by the head coach of the newly formed Golden State Valkyries for the 2025 WNBA season and has taken on a surprisingly crucial role.

The floor general, fluent in French, English, Italian, and Flemish, has unofficially become the team’s go-to interpreter for the other 6 international players in the team. The current Golden State Valkyries roster is as global as it gets, with players representing seven different countries–the United States, France, Belgium, Australia, Canada, Britain, and Italy. With that comes a rich mix of cultures and languages, and that’s where Julie Vanloo shines. Head coach Natalie Nakase even praised Vanloo’s multilingual skills, calling them a key part of the team’s foundation.

So, with fan interest around the 32-year-old guard at an all-time high, now feels like the perfect time to dive into her roots.

Where is Julie Vanloo from? What’s her nationality?

Julie Vanloo was born on February 10, 1993, in the coastal city of Ostend, Belgium. Proudly upholding her Belgian roots, she’s been a longtime representative of her country on the international basketball stage.

What is Julie Vanloo’s ethnicity and religion?

There is no publicly confirmed information about Julie Vanloo’s ethnicity or religion. However, based on the fact that she speaks Flemish, a version of Dutch commonly spoken in parts of Belgium, it can be reasonably assumed that she may belong to the Flemish ethnic group, also known as the Flemings. Historically, around 75% of the Flemish population have been baptized as Roman Catholic.

That said, these are purely educated guesses and not verified facts. We will be sure to update this section if any official information becomes available.

Which high school did Julie Vanloo attend?

There is no publicly available information about Julie Vanloo’s high school background at this time. Once that information becomes accessible, we’ll be sure to update this section accordingly.

What is known is that Vanloo signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Iowa State University back in 2011. However, she was not cleared by the NCAA to compete during the 2011–12 academic year. Following this setback, she chose to pursue her education and basketball development at a college in Belgium.

This was further confirmed by Iowa State’s legendary head coach Bill Fennelly himself. “We have been informed by the NCAA that Julie has not been cleared to play basketball at Iowa State during the 2011-12 academic year.Throughout the process, Julie has maintained her passion about becoming a Cyclone. She is looking into the possibility of attending a college in Belgium which would allow her to attend and play at Iowa State in the near future.”

Julie Vanloo has averaged 4.7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game for the Golden State Valkyries so far in the 2025 WNBA season. Her steady presence has helped guide the expansion team to a promising start. With such a unique international roster, it’ll be fascinating to watch how the chemistry develops and how the Valkyries navigate their debut season in the league.