On April 13, 2026, the Women’s National Basketball Association ushered in its newest class of hungry rookies looking to prove themselves on the professional stage. Among them was recent Michigan State University graduate and Toledo native Grace VanSlooten.
That night, VanSlooten and her family and friends gathered at Stubborn Brother, an iconic Toledo pizza place, to watch the draft.
“It was very nerve-wracking for sure,” VanSlooten said. “There [were] a couple moments where I was almost a little mad that my mom wanted to have this big party because, you know, ‘What if I don’t get picked?’ … But in the end, I’m really grateful for it, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
Surrounded by family and friends, VanSlooten heard the announcement she’d been dreaming of: “With the 39th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, the Seattle Storm select Grace VanSlooten from Michigan State.”
But this was only the beginning of her WNBA journey.
After playing four games in Seattle, the Storm waived VanSlooten. She became one of eight rookies to play for a different team than they were initially drafted to.
Thankfully, VanSlooten entered into a more rookie-friendly WNBA environment than previous years.
For most of the league’s history, 75% of teams made the playoffs. This created a cutthroat competition, forcing teams to prioritize current wins over the development of young players and driving many rookies out prematurely. Only 41% of the 2020-2024 first and second round draft classes remain in the league.
The 2026 collective bargaining agreement changed this, expanding teams’ rosters to 12 from the previous 11 and adding development roster spots. WNBA teams can now sign up to two players with less than three years experience in the league without impacting the team’s overall salary cap or roster maxes.
Less than a week after being waived by the Seattle Storm, VanSlooten signed a rest-of-season contract with the Indiana Fever.
“When Indiana called, I was pretty excited,” VanSlooten said.
Indiana gave her another chance to play in the league. Of the 45 rookies drafted in 2026, VanSlooten is one of only 30 who remain as of September 24, 2026.
“I’m loving [playing for the Fever],” VanSlooten said. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from the people ahead of me and the people that are older than me and have spent more time in the league … I’m grateful to be on the team at all.”
VanSlooten’s drive to learn and improve was something that her high school coach, Travis Galloway, said he had never seen before at Notre Dame Academy in Toledo. According to Galloway, VanSlooten set a high bar, always putting in extra effort and being the first one in the gym and last one to leave.
And it wasn’t just her phenomenal skills on the court that made her memorable.
“Grace had a personality about her that was even more fun to be around than watching her play,” Galloway said. “And that allowed teammates to just gravitate towards her.”
Being able to play home games in Indianapolis, only a three-and-a-half hour drive from Toledo, is the cherry on top for VanSlooten. This proximity allows her parents to support her in person, something she missed when she was away for her first two years of college in Oregon.
VanSlooten is grateful for the amount of support that her parents and siblings have given her throughout her career, from giving up weekends to drive her to practices and tournaments to watching her games and celebrating her achievements.
“They’ve just been there through it all, and I really love them for supporting me,” VanSlooten said.
