Golden State Valkyries‘ First pick, Juste Jocyte, to Compete in new Global League, Project B
OAKLAND, CA – Juste Jocyte, the Golden State Valkyries’ first-round draft pick, will join the inaugural season of Project B, a new international women’s basketball league launching next November. the announcement comes as Project B details its structure: six teams of 11 players each will compete in seven two-week tournaments across Europe, asia, and Latin America.
The 20-year-old Lithuanian forward, currently playing for Uni Girona in Spain’s EuroLeague, confirmed her participation after a summer spent with the Lithuanian national team at EuroBasket and preparing for her European winter season. Jocyte is averaging 14.2 points and 4.3 assists for Uni Girona.She led Lithuania to a surprising knockout-round appearance at EuroBasket, averaging 16 points in 31.5 minutes per game.
Project B offers players equity in the startup league and promises salaries exceeding those offered by both the WNBA and Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league’s schedule is designed to avoid conflicts with the standard WNBA season (May through October).
“I know I have to adapt, it’s a very different style of play,” Jocyte told the San Francisco Chronicle in August. “It’s just more physical, really, and it’s more individual, and there’s more 1-on-1s. But now you see more Europeans coming into the U.S., and the states are adapting a little bit more to the Europeans, too.”
Jocyte’s impressive international pedigree includes a silver medal at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket at age 13, where she was named to the All-Star Five, and a gold medal at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket at age 16, earning MVP honors. She also has prior experience competing against WNBA players in EuroBasket qualification games dating back to 2018, when she was just 13 years old.
Project B is led by chief basketball officer Alana Beard, previously involved in efforts to bring a WNBA team to Oakland. The league has faced scrutiny for its partnership with Sela, an entertainment company backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, tho Project B has publicly stated it receives no funding from the PIF.
Several other WNBA players, including Nneka Ogwumike, current WNBPA president and a former Stanford star, have also committed to participate. Jocyte is expected to attend valkyries training camp next season.
