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Caitlin Clark's Former Fever Teammate Temporarily Leaves WNBA Mid-Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 8:06 AM ET

The Indiana Fever are still figuring out their new roster after an eventful offseason. The team made some big moves to surround Caitlin Clark with the best possible team in her sophomore year, and the new-look squad remains a work in progress.

One of the players who left Indiana over the offseason was center Temi Fagbenle, who the Golden State Valkyries selected as the fifth overall pick in the 2025 Expansion Draft.

Fagbenle has been a force for the Valkyries in their debut season, with the 6-foot-4 center averaging 10.3 points (on 54.3% shooting), 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals as the squad's starting center.

Golden State, however, announced on Sunday that Fagbenle will be leaving the team to attend to her international duties with the Great Britain women's basketball squad.

"Temi Fágbénlé will temporarily step away from the Golden State Valkyries to represent the Great Britain National Team at FIBA EuroBasket 2025," the team posted on X.

Temi Fágbénlé will temporarily step away from the Golden State Valkyries to represent the Great Britain National Team at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

Great Britain begins group play on June 19 vs. Spain in Hamburg, Germany, as they compete for a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.… pic.twitter.com/OaDiGEYdx1
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) June 15, 2025

As the post indicates, Great Britain's EuroBasket campaign will start on June 19 against Spain. They have two more games in Group D against Sweden and host Germany on June 20 and 22, respectively.

Fagbenle's time away from the Valkyries will be determined by Great Britain's performance in the tournament. If they make it all the way to the final on June 29, then the veteran will miss a total of six games for Golden State.

One of the games Fagbenle will miss for certain is Thursday's clash against her former team. The Valkyries host Clark and the Fever at Chase Center, but Fagbenle will miss out on a reunion with her ex-teammates.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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