[1] She is the daughter of Ulysse Gruda, who played for the French men's national basketball team, and grew up on Martinique.

Before joining the WNBA, Gruda played professionally for the French club Union Sportive Valenciennes Olympic.

During her rookie season, she provided solid bench play and with her height and length, was a consistent rebounder and shot-blocker.

Gruda sat out the 2015 season to prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics with the France women's national basketball team in the qualifying tournament.

[5] The Sparks would go on to advance to the Finals for the second season in a row, after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in a 3-game sweep, setting up a rematch with the Lynx.