The last time Dorka Juhász stepped onto a WNBA court was on October 20, 2024, during the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty. That game marked the end of the Minnesota Lynx’s season just short of a championship. Since then, Juhász has been away from the Lynx, choosing to remain overseas and focus on recovery. However, her time away has not been idle — she has been working hard across the globe, and the results have been impressive.
Juhász took a break from the 2024 WNBA season but is now expected to return in 2026. With several key players leaving the team this offseason, she has a significant opportunity ahead in Minnesota. However, as training camp began in Minneapolis, Juhász was not present — yet. This is because she has been finishing up what has been a historic season in Turkey.
MVP Season
Juhász spent her offseason playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, taking on a new team and country rather than returning to Italy, where she had played previously. Alongside her performances in the Turkey-KBSL and EuroLeague with Galatasaray, she also represented Hungary in five games during the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul.
With Galatasaray, Juhász didn’t just have a good season — she had an MVP season. Last weekend, she was named EuroLeague MVP, becoming the youngest player ever to receive the honor at the age of 26. The winners of the EuroLeague awards are determined by a combination of votes from coaches, players, media, and fans.
FIBA Basketball highlighted that Juhász showcased leadership throughout the season, becoming the centerpiece of Galatasaray’s return to elite competition.
“I am shocked and I am super grateful (to win MVP),” Juhász told FIBA Basketball. “It’s something you don’t expect; you just come to play every single day. I was happy to just be in the conversation with two other amazing players. … My team put me in a position to step up as a leader. Since everyone was fairly new when this team was formed, there was space for me to take on that leadership role.”
“I’m happy I could take that step, because they believed in me and put me in positions to be successful,” Juhász continued. “This is the icing on the cake.”
Throughout the season, Juhász delivered strong performances in EuroLeague play. In 18 games, she averaged 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks over 24.6 minutes. She shot 56.7% from inside the arc and 36.6% from three-point range. In Turkey-KBSL action, she averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks over 23.6 minutes in 19 games.
“Playing in EuroLeague Women was always one of my goals,” Juhász told FIBA Basketball. “When I was 16 and playing in EuroCup Women, that was what I wanted to accomplish. If I could ask my younger self back then what I wanted to achieve, being here would be one of my wildest dreams. … This year has been truly remarkable.”
Because of her efforts, Juhász was crowned EuroLeague MVP, beating out strong competition such as Emma Meesseman (Fenerbahce) and Iliana Rupert (Fenerbahce). As a result, she was also named to the All-EuroLeague Women First Team alongside Meesseman, Rupert, Julie Allemand (Fenerbahce), and Leila Lacan (Basket Landes).
Unfortunately, Juhász wasn’t able to complete the historic season with Galatasaray, as she sat out the EuroLeague Final against Fenerbahce due to a right ankle injury that required a boot at the time of the MVP presentation.
Returning to Minnesota
Now that the EuroLeague postseason is over, with Galatasaray finishing second after falling to Fenerbahce in the final on Sunday, the focus shifts to ensuring Juhász is fully healthy and ready to return to Minnesota. She is expected to make her return this summer after taking a year off.
Juhász will have a nice opportunity ahead of her, with the soon-to-be third-year forward and former second-round draft pick getting the chance to see more playing time following the departures of Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency.
“I think she’s excited about the opportunity that she has,” Cheryl Reeve said after the WNBA Draft on April 13. “Now, there’s opportunity for Dorka that I think we’re all excited about.”
Over the first two years of her career with the Lynx, Juhász averaged 5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks over 20.4 minutes in 72 career games. In her rookie season in 2023, she started in 27 of her 38 appearances, but was primarily in a bench role during her sophomore season in 2024.
After taking the 2025 campaign off, Minnesota is hoping Juhász will replicate what was seen from Shepard in 2025 after she too took the prior season off to remain overseas.
If what Juhász has been able to do overseas — both as a leader and with her talent on the court — she should be able to hit the ground running and carve out a key role with the Lynx this summer.
