Golden State Valkyries

Golden State Valkyries
2025 Golden State Valkyries season
Golden State Valkyries logo
NicknameGSV
Valks
ConferenceWestern
LeagueWNBA
Founded2025
HistoryGolden State Valkyries
2025–present
ArenaChase Center
LocationSan Francisco, California
Team colorsViolet, gold, black, white[1][2][3]
       
PresidentJess Smith
General managerOhemaa Nyanin
Head coachNatalie Nakase
AssistantsKasib Powell
Sugar Rodgers
Landon Tatum
OwnershipJoe Lacob
Peter Guber
Websitehttps://valkyries.com/

The Golden State Valkyries are an American professional basketball team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Valkyries compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team began play in the 2025 season. While the Valkyries play their home games at Chase Center in San Francisco, their practice facility and front office are located in Oakland.[4] Chase Center is nicknamed "Ballhalla" during Valkyries games, a reference to Valhalla in Norse mythology, where Valkyries bring select fallen warriors.

History

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which started in 1997, previously had a team in northern California, the Sacramento Monarchs, which played from 1997 until folding in 2009, despite winning a league championship in 2005.[5] After the Monarchs folded, the WNBA remained steady with 12 teams, although there was often talk of expanding the league.[5]

The San Francisco Valkyries’ purple bird mascot, Violet, dances on the court in a white cheer outfit during a WNBA game.
Violet waves to the crowd during a game in August 2025.

On September 26, 2023, The Athletic reported that the owners of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, were finalizing an agreement to start a WNBA expansion team in San Francisco.[6] Lacob had previously helped found the American Basketball League (ABL), which played before the WNBA, and owned one of their teams, the San Jose Lasers.[6] The ABL folded in 1998 and the Lasers were the last San Francisco Bay Area women's professional basketball team.[6]

On October 5, 2023, the expansion team was officially announced, with plans to begin play in 2025, as the first expansion team in the WNBA since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.[7][8][9][10] The expansion fee for the franchise was reported to be $50 million over 10 years.[11] It was reported that the team's name would include "Golden State", with announcement of the name, logos, and uniforms to come at a later date.[10]

Within the first few hours of being announced, over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed.[10] On January 30, 2024, Jess Smith, an executive with Angel City FC of the NWSL, was hired as the team's president.[12] On April 16, the team surpassed 6,000 season ticket deposits.[13] Ohemaa Nyanin was announced as general manager on May 7.[14] A WNBA expansion draft occurred in early December 2024, and Golden State participated in its first WNBA draft in April 2025.[15][16][17]

The team name – Golden State Valkyries – and logos were revealed on May 14, 2024.[18] The logo features the Bay Bridge, symbolizing the connection between San Francisco and Oakland with the cables doubling as wings and the tower doubling as a sword. The thirteen lines from the sword represent the Valkyries as the thirteenth team in the league, and the wings split the space into five triangles to represent the ten players on the court. The outer shape is a V to represent the Valkyries.[18]

The team mascot, Violet the raven, was revealed on August 11, 2025, at Chase Center at halftime.[19][20]

A historic start (2025–present)

A player on the San Francisco Valkyries takes a free throw during a WNBA game at Chase Center as teammates and opponents line up for the rebound.
Valkyrie Carla Leite (#0) shoots a free throw during a game against the Indiana Fever at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, in August 2025.

The Golden State Valkyries made its WNBA debut on May 16, 2025, with an 84–76 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks,[21] but the team secured its first-ever regular season win just five days later on May 21, defeating the Washington Mystics 76–74.[22] The Valkyries finished May with a 2–3 record and carried strong form into June, posting a 7–4 mark. July opened with difficulties, as the Valkyries managed only one win before the All-Star break – an 80–61 victory over the Indiana Fever[23] – entering the break at 1–5 for the month. On July 25, the team announced that star forward Kayla Thornton would miss the remainder of the season due to a right knee injury suffered in practice.[24] Despite the setback, Golden State closed July with a 3–1 run. On August 13, Veronica Burton became the first player in franchise history to score 30 points in a game during an 88–83 win over the Mystics.[25] Three days later, Golden State set a WNBA record for most wins by an expansion team in its inaugural season, earning an 18th victory with a 90–59 triumph over the Chicago Sky,[26] surpassing the 1998 Detroit Shock.[27] On August 30, the Valkyries recorded a franchise-high 37-point win, defeating the Mystics 99–62 with contributions from Janelle Salaün (20 points) and Carla Leite (19 points off the bench).[28] The team finished the month with an 8–5 record. The Valkyries made further history on September 4, becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the WNBA playoffs in its inaugural season following an 84–80 win over the Dallas Wings.[29][30] Three days later, the franchise announced it had sold out all 22 home games at Chase Center, setting records in both total (397,408) and average (18,604) attendance for the regular season.[31] Golden State concluded the regular season with a 23–21 record, earning the eighth seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.[32] In Game 1, the Valkyries opened with a double-digit lead but ultimately fell 101–72 after the Lynx took control in the second quarter.[33][34] Their season ended in Game 2 with a narrow 75–74 loss, as Minnesota overcame a 17-point deficit and Cecilia Zandalasini missed a buzzer-beater that would have forced a Game 3.[35][36]

Built from former sixth women and role players, international standouts, and young rookies, the Valkyries routinely defied expectations, rejecting comparisons to past expansion teams and using early doubt as motivation.[37] Their breakthrough season was recognized across the league: head coach Natalie Nakase was named the WNBA Coach of the Year with 53 of 72 votes;[38] Veronica Burton was named the WNBA Most Improved Player after posting career highs across the board and becoming the first player in league history to increase her averages by at least five points, two rebounds, and two assists from one season to the next,[39] Burton also received WNBA All-Defensive Second Team honors;[40] Janelle Salaün was selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team;[41] Jess Smith received the inaugural Business Executive Leadership Award;[42] and Tiffany Hayes earned the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award.[43]

Season-by-season records

Season Team Conference Regular season Playoff Results Head coach
W L PCT
Golden State Valkyries
2025 2025 West 4th 23 21 .523 Lost First Round (Minnesota, 0–2) Natalie Nakase
Regular season 23 21 .523 0 WNBA Championships
Playoffs 0 2 .000

Players

Current roster

Golden State Valkyries roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F3CanadaAmihere, Laeticia6' 3" (1.91m)185 lb (84kg)2001-07-10South Carolina2
F25United StatesBillings, Monique6' 4" (1.93m)192 lb (87kg)1996-05-02UCLA7
G22United StatesBurton, Veronica5' 9" (1.75m)155 lb (70kg)2000-07-12Northwestern3
G/F6United StatesCharles, Kaila6' 1" (1.85m)168 lb (76kg)1998-03-23Maryland4
G2United StatesChen, Kaitlyn5' 9" (1.75m)2002-02-22ConnecticutR
C14United KingdomFagbenle, Temi6' 4" (1.93m)180 lb (82kg)1992-09-08USC4
G15AzerbaijanHayes, Tiffany Injured5' 10" (1.78m)155 lb (70kg)1989-09-20Connecticut12
G0FranceLeite, Carla5' 9" (1.75m)2004-04-16FranceR
G20United StatesMartin, Kate6' 0" (1.83m)172 lb (78kg)2000-06-05Iowa1
C12FranceRupert, Iliana6' 4" (1.93m)189 lb (86kg)2001-07-12France2
F13FranceSalaün, Janelle6' 2" (1.88m)2001-09-05FranceR
F5United StatesThornton, Kayla Injured6' 1" (1.85m)190 lb (86kg)1992-10-20UTEP9
F24ItalyZandalasini, Cecilia6' 2" (1.88m)175 lb (79kg)1996-03-16Italy3
F—SpainConde, María Injured (S)6' 1" (1.85m)152 lb (69kg)1997-01-14Florida State–
G/F—LithuaniaJocytė, Justė (DP)6' 2" (1.88m)2005-11-19Lithuania–
Head coach
United States Natalie Nakase (UCLA)
Assistant coaches
United States Kasib Powell (Texas Tech)
United States Sugar Rodgers (Georgetown)
United States Landon Tatum (Idaho)
Player development
United States Sidney Parsons (Bridgeport)
Athletic trainer
United States Katelin Knox
Assistant trainer
United States Allison DeKuiper
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured
  WNBA roster page
East
ATL
CHI
CON
IND
NY
TOR
WAS
West
DAL
GS
LV
LA
MIN
PHO
POR
SEA

Coaches and staff

Head coaches

On October 10, 2024, Natalie Nakase was hired by the Valkyries to be their first head coach.[44]

Further information: Category:Golden State Valkyries coaches
Golden State Valkyries head coaches
Name Start End Seasons Regular season Playoffs
W L PCT G W L PCT G
Natalie Nakase October 10, 2024 Current 1 23 21 .523 44 0 2 .000 2

General managers

Assistant coaches

All-time notes

All-Stars

  • 2025: Kayla Thornton

Honors and awards

  • 2025 Most Improved Player: Veronica Burton
  • 2025 All-Rookie Team: Janelle Salaün
  • 2025 All-Defensive Second Team: Veronica Burton
  • 2025 Coach of the Year: Natalie Nakase
  • 2025 Business Executive Leadership Award: Jess Smith
  • 2025 Cares Community Assist Award: Tiffany Hayes

References

  1. ^ "Golden State Valkyries Unveil Brand Identity". Valkyries.com (Press release). WNBA Media Ventures, LLC. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Valkyries Unveil Secondary Logos". Valkyries.com. WNBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024. The Valkyrie Figure incorporates gold, the team's secondary color, with golden armor creating a regal, statuesque look. The Valkyrie Violet in the cape ties back to the team's core color, unifying the design.
  3. ^ "Golden State Valkyries Reproduction Guideline Sheet". WNBA Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "WNBA expansion team awarded to Bay Area, will begin play in 2025". National Basketball Association. October 5, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "What to know about the Warriors' WNBA expansion franchise". ESPN. October 5, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Thompson II, Marcus (September 26, 2023). "Warriors finalizing agreement to bring WNBA team to Bay Area: Sources". The Athletic.
  7. ^ "WNBA Expansion Team Awarded in Bay Area To Golden State Warriors To Begin Play in 2025". WNBA.com. October 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "Golden State Warriors Awarded WNBA Expansion Franchise". valkyries.com. October 5, 2023.
  9. ^ McCauley, Janie (October 5, 2023). "Golden State Warriors granted WNBA expansion franchise to begin play in 2025". Associated Press News.
  10. ^ a b c Shelburne, Ramona (October 5, 2023). "WNBA announces Bay Area expansion team to begin play in 2025". ESPN.
  11. ^ Novy-Williams, Eben; Soshnick, Scott (October 5, 2023). "Warriors to Pay Record $50M to Secure WNBA Expansion Team". Yahoo.com.
  12. ^ Philippou, Alexa (January 30, 2024). "Angel City FC exec Jess Smith to head Warriors' WNBA team". ESPN.
  13. ^ Mastrodonato, Jason (April 16, 2024). "2025 WNBA Draft: Five prospects to watch for Golden State's expansion team". The Mercury News.
  14. ^ Philippou, Alexa (May 6, 2024). "WNBA expansion franchise Golden State hires Ohemaa Nyanin as GM". ESPN. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Henderson, Cydney; Horrow, Ellen J. (December 6, 2024). "WNBA expansion draft live updates: Golden State Valkyries pick their players for 2025". USA Today. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "Golden State FAQ". Women's National Basketball Association.
  17. ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 1, 2024). "What's next for Golden State WNBA team? Timeline for name, GM, coach, roster". San Francisco Chronicle.
  18. ^ a b Philippou, Alexa (May 14, 2024). "Golden State's WNBA team to be called Valkyries". ESPN. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "Mysterious purple egg 'hatches,' reveals Violet the raven as mascot for Golden State Valkyries". ABC7 San Francisco. August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  20. ^ "Golden State Valkyries Introduce "Violet"". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  21. ^ "Los Angeles Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries - WNBA Game Summary - May 16, 2025 | WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  22. ^ "Veronica Burton's Career Night Leads Valkyries to First Win in Franchise History". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  23. ^ "Golden State Valkyries vs. Indiana Fever - WNBA Game Summary - July 9, 2025 | WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  24. ^ read, Andy BackstromContributing writer·2 min (July 25, 2025). "Valkyries' Kayla Thornton to miss rest of season with knee injury All-Star forward suffered in practice". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Veronica Burton and Cecilia Zandalasini Combine for 50 Points, 12 3-Pointers in Valkyries' Win Over Mystics". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  26. ^ "Golden State Valkyries vs. Chicago Sky - WNBA Game Summary - August 15, 2025 | WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  27. ^ "Valkyries Make WNBA Expansion History With 18th Regular Season Win". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  28. ^ "Valkyries Rout Mystics by a Franchise-Record 37 Points on Saturday Night". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  29. ^ "Golden State Valkyries Clinch Postseason Berth". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  30. ^ "Dallas Wings vs. Golden State Valkyries - WNBA Game Summary - September 4, 2025 | WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  31. ^ Salao, Colin (September 7, 2025). "Valkyries Set WNBA Attendance Record in Inaugural Season". Front Office Sports. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  32. ^ "Valkyries Fall to Lynx, Setting Up Rematch in First Round of 2025 Playoffs". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  33. ^ Hansen, Mitchell (September 14, 2025). "Lynx 101, Valkyries 72: Blowout in Game 1". Canis Hoopus. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  34. ^ "Valkyries Unable to Sustain Early Momentum, Suffer 29-Point Defeat to Lynx in Playoff Debut". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  35. ^ Smith, Michelle (September 18, 2025). "Valkyries finish with guts, grit and a roaring crowd". The IX Basketball. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  36. ^ Henderson, Cydney. "Lynx claw back from 17-point deficit, beat Valkyries to advance to WNBA semifinals". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  37. ^ "Valkyries make WNBA history with playoff debut". ESPN.com. September 5, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  38. ^ "Golden State Valkyries' Natalie Nakase Wins 2025 State Street Investment Management SPY WNBA Coach of the Year Award". www.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  39. ^ "Veronica Burton Named 2025 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  40. ^ "Veronica Burton Selected to WNBA All-Defensive Second Team". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  41. ^ "Janelle Salaün Named to WNBA All-Rookie Team". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  42. ^ "Valkyries President Jess Smith Wins Inaugural WNBA Business Executive Leadership Award Presented by Deloitte". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  43. ^ "Valkyries' Tiffany 'Tip' Hayes Receives 2025 Seasonlong WNBA Cares Community Assist Award". valkyries.wnba.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  44. ^ "Golden State Valkyries Announce Natalie Nakase as Head Coach". valkyries.com. October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Valkyries