Holly Winterburn Found Out She Was Cut From Her Wnba Team While Boarding The Bus To First Game

It’s ne'er a bully clip to perceive you’ve been trim from your squad — but being told conscionable hours earlier your play opener mightiness beryllium 1 of nan worst.

That’s what happened to erstwhile Atlanta Dream defender Holly Winterburn connected Saturday. Just 2 days aft being announced arsenic portion of nan 2026 roster for nan Dream, Winterburn was waived truthful nan squad could pick up Aaliyah Nye.

According to Winterburn, she recovered retired arsenic she was boarding nan squad autobus to caput to their first charismatic crippled of nan season.

“I thought my invited to nan W infinitesimal would hap connected nan court, not arsenic I’m getting connected nan autobus for my first ever game,” Winterburn wrote successful a station shared to her Instagram communicative on Tuesday. “But that’s nan reality of this business & I will ever beryllium grateful for nan opportunity Atlanta gave me.”

But it appears Winterburn’s WNBA dreams are not yet over. On Wednesday, it was announced that she has signed a developmental subordinate statement pinch nan Portland Fire.

Winterburn’s travel to nan WNBA has been a spot of a roller coaster. The British defender played for nan Oregon Ducks during nan 2019-2020 play earlier it was trim short by nan COVID-19 pandemic. She first signed to play pinch nan Dream successful 2025, but missed nan play because of injury. After a beardown preseason showing — including 12 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals against nan Washington Mystics connected May 3 — it appeared arsenic if Winterburn had secured her spot pinch nan team.

But nan WNBA showed erstwhile again why it is regarded arsenic 1 of nan toughest master leagues to break into erstwhile Winterburn was waived. It’s not different for players to beryllium blindsided by abrupt roster moves, bully aliases bad.

Last year, Belgian defender Julie Vanloo was informed she had been cut by nan Golden State Valkyries an hr aft landing successful San Francisco. The EuroBasket victor had skipped her team’s triumph ceremony to hop connected a formation backmost to nan WNBA squad anterior to receiving nan news.

In nan lead-up to nan 2025 season, Stanford alum Karlie Samuelson boarded a formation arsenic a personnel of nan Mystics and learned erstwhile she landed that she had been traded to nan Minnesota Lynx.