Juste Jocyte became the first draft choice in the Golden States Valkyries' history, with the Lithuanian the fifth pick in the WNBA draft.
Golden State Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin underlined the importance of selecting "someone who has seen the bright lights of Europe" in Juste Jocyte in Monday's WNBA draft.
The Lithuanian forward was the fifth pick, and the first draft choice in franchise history - as well as the first by an expansion team since 2008.
Though only 19, Jocyte brings plenty of experience to Golden State's ranks heading into their inaugural season.
She became the youngest player to play in EuroLeague at the age of 14, while she averaged 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 21 games for Lyon ASVEL Feminin during the 2024-25 season.
"We want to be competitive in year one," Nyanin said. "[Jocyte is] someone who is going to come in and not be shy about the moment, and someone who has seen the bright lights of Europe, I think that is very important.
"The lights at Chase Center are going to be super bright, and in all the other arenas we play in. Being competitive at such a young age, and playing with and against other athletes in the WNBA ecosystem, it's amazing."
Jocyte became the 10th international player to be added to the Valkyries' roster, representing the most overseas players on a team in the WNBA.
Nyanin insists Golden State, who also selected Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen on Monday, did not set out to specifically land international players.
"It remains to be seen after this first season if what we did in the expansion draft, free agency and collegiate draft is the runway for other expansion teams," she added.
"We feel very confident that it's our way, so I'm curious to see how other teams do it. I would say that we're not trying to pave the way for other teams to do it. Training camp will help define us.
"The goal for camp is to bring in competitive athletes and make no assumptions that they are going to make our team, and have the most competitive training camp to then merit who wears our jersey on May 16 [against the Los Angeles Sparks]."