On Thursday night, the Golden State Valkyries became the first-ever franchise expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.
The Valkyries defeated the Dallas Wings 84-80 and secured their playoff berth inside Ballhalla and in front of thousands of their fans.
The playoff spot adds to what has been an already historic season for the Valkyries.
On Aug. 15, they became the franchise expansion team with the most wins during their inaugural season. They defeated the Chicago Sky and earned their 18th win in that August game. With the game on Thursday, they’ve extended that record to 23 wins.
Their success and fan fervor have also led them to be valued at $500 million, according to a June Sportico report. The valuation makes them the most valuable WNBA team, and the only women’s sports franchise to reach the half-billion mark.
On the court, the Valkyries are one of the leading teams when it comes to three-pointers made, rebounds per game and free throw percentage.
Veronica Burton was one of the top WNBA players for assists per game, and Iliana Rupert and Cecilia Zandalasini were in the Top 5 for three-point percentage in the WNBA.
The Valkyries are also a Top 5 defensive team.
Fan reactions
Randi Seidner says as soon as she heard that the WNBA was expanding to the Bay Area, she knew she had to get season tickets. She has some of the best tickets in the house, second row, courtside, right across from the Valks bench.
“These are incredible seats,” said Lynne Bernstein. “We see everything. They’re amazing.”
Seidner, Bernstein and crew were on the edge of their seats almost the entire game, or they were on their feet. Bernstein had hoop dreams growing up.
“For me, I’ve been watching women’s basketball since the ’80s and I said if we ever got a team, I was going to be here,” Bernstein said. “When it did, my wife said we’re going.”
They say watching the Valkyries reminds them of a time when women didn’t have the opportunities they have today. They are enjoying the ride of the inaugural season and will be at Chase Center for what they hope will be many more games like this one.
“We were going back and forth throughout the whole game,” said Bernstein. “Unfortunately, we kept losing the ball and we won, though.”
“They really went for it,” Randi added. “I mean, they did not want to lose this game. There was no way they were losing. That’s for sure.”
Valkyries History
When Natalie Nakase became the head coach for the Golden State Valkyries in 2024, she also became the first Asian American WNBA coach.
She was named the June WNBA coach of the month, and now also has the distinction of leading a franchise expansion team to a playoff run in its first season.
Kayla Thornton, who scored the team’s first-ever points, was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the games played between June 9 and June 15. Thornton also became the team’s first-ever All-Star representation.
They got their first win against the Washington Mystics as Veronica Burton scored 22 points, 14 of them in the final quarter. Burton went on to become the first Valkyrie to score 30 points.
She also became the first-ever WNBA player to have a scoreline of 24 points, 14 assists and zero turnovers in a game.
Current Roster
Led by Nakase, the Golden State Valkyries had their first-ever season game on May 16. Their 23-18 record through Thursday night was enough to push them into the playoffs.
The Valkyries have three regular-season games left before the playoffs begin.
Laeticia Amihere
Monique Billings
Veronica Burton
Kaila Charles
Kaitlyn Chen
Temi Fágbénlé
Tiffany Hayes
Elizabeth Kitley
Carla Leite
Kate Martin
Iliana Rupert
Janelle Salaun
Kayla Thornton
Cecilia Zandalasini
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Jose Fabian is a web producer for CBS Bay Area where he reports on local crime, politics and breaking news. He studied political science and journalism at Sacramento State and was born and raised in Northern California.
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