Basketball has taken Cecilia Zandalasini from the small town of Broni, Italy all the way to the WNBA. Now one of the newest members of the Golden State Valkyries, she currently is playing for Galatasaray in Istanbul.
Zandalasini spoke to Swish Appeal about unexpectedly joining the Lynx in 2017, her six-year hiatus from the WNBA and her return to Minnesota in 2024, when her 3-point shooting and defense helped the Lynx reach the 2024 WNBA Finals. She also discussed getting drafted by the Valkyries in the recent expansion draft. Some highlights from our conversation include:
On joining the Lynx in 2017 three games before the end of the regular season:
I remember in 2017, in the summer, I played in my first EuroBasket with my national team and then as we returned to Italy, I just got that call and I couldn’t believe it, because it was something that has never even crossed my mind. I wasn’t expecting anything like that, so I couldn’t believe it. But yeah, literally I got my visa done and I was on the airplane to Minneapolis. Everything happened so fast, but I will be forever grateful for the experience for sure.
On EuroLeague players positively impacting the Lynx:
It was such a great mix I must say, and for sure that helped us bond really well, and I think that was one of the keys to our success this summer. We really enjoyed each other, enjoyed each other’s company. We enjoyed all the practices in the gym, so it was just a very fun atmosphere and I was glad and grateful to be part of that amazing team. I have great memories. In the end we fell short [of the championship], but for sure it was a great group of girls and it was just super fun.
A special thank you to the team at More Basketball for arranging the interview.
