Kim Mulkey’s former LSU player left heartbroken after being cut while boarding bus for WNBA debut
Atlanta Dream waived British guard Holly Winterburn while she boarded the team bus for the 2026 season opener to claim Aaliyah Nye off waivers.
Kim Mulkey’s former LSU player left heartbroken after being cut while boarding bus for WNBA debut originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . In her only preseason game, Holly Winterburn scored a team-high 12 points, with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes against the Washington Mystics .
For a player with no regular-season WNBA experience, it looked like a convincing roster case. She played with composure, competed on both ends of the floor and looked fully recovered from the injury that forced her to miss every single game last season. Winterburn played at Oregon before signing with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2025 season.
Despite missing the entire rookie year, Atlanta retained her rights and gave her a new opportunity by re-signing her for 2026. Dream GM Dan Padover praised her addition at the time, stating, "Holly is a versatile guard with extensive professional and international experience. We're excited to see her compete at this level.
" But now, she is no longer with the team. On May 7, they included her on the official opening night roster. Two days later, on May 9, the Dream waived Winterburn as she was boarding the team bus for the season opener against the Minnesota Lynx .