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 (nicknamed "Ballhalla" during Valkyries home games) in San Francisco, their practice facility and front office are located in Oakland. The Valkyries won their first WNBA Finals in 2026.
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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. After the Monarchs folded, the WNBA remained steady with 12 teams, although there was often talk of expanding the league.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. 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, until the ABL folded in 1998.
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. The expansion fee for the franchise was reported to be $50 million over 10 years. 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.
Within the first few hours of being announced, over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed. On January 30, 2024, Jess Smith, an executive with Angel City FC of the NWSL, was hired as the team's president. On April 16, the team surpassed 6,000 season ticket deposits. Ohemaa Nyanin was announced as general manager on May 7. A WNBA expansion draft occurred in early December 2024, and Golden State participated in its first WNBA draft in April 2025.
The team name – Golden State Valkyries – and logos were revealed on May 14, 2024. 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.
The team mascot, Violet the raven, was revealed on August 11, 2025, at Chase Center at halftime.
Debut and first championship (2025–present)
The Golden State Valkyries made its WNBA debut on May 16, 2025, with an 84–76 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, but the team secured its first regular season win just five days later on May 21, defeating the Washington Mystics 76–74. In August, Golden State set a WNBA record for most wins by an expansion team in its inaugural season with 18 victories—surpassing the 1998 Detroit Shock. The Valkyries became the first expansion franchise to reach the WNBA playoffs in its inaugural season and 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.
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. 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. 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. The Valkyries were recognized across the league for their performance: head coach Natalie Nakase was named the WNBA Coach of the Year with 53 of 72 votes; Veronica Burton was named the WNBA Most Improved Player; Janelle Salaün was selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team; Jess Smith received the inaugural Business Executive Leadership Award; and Tiffany Hayes earned the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award.
In April 2026, the Valkyries signed former Storm player Gabby Williams on a multi-year contract. The Valkyries ended the 2026 season as the 2nd seed winning 32 games and qualifying for the playoffs. They entered the second round playing against the 7th seed Dallas Wings. They beat the Wings in 3 games, advancing to the second round playing against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. In October, by sweeping the defending champions Aces in the semifinal, the Valkyries qualified for their first WNBA Finals. They won their first WNBA title on October 31, 2026, by defeating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals, the first time the league championship was decided in the seventh game.
Media coverage
Non-nationally televised games air on either KPIX-TV or KPYX, while nationally televised games air on either ABC (KGO-TV), ESPN, ESPN2, CBS (KPIX-TV), Ion (KKPX-TV), Amazon Prime Video, NBA TV, NBC (KNTV), NBCSN, and USA.
Players
Coaches and staff
Head coaches
On October 10, 2024, Natalie Nakase was hired by the Valkyries to be their first head coach.
General managers
Ohemaa Nyanin (2024–present)
Assistant coaches
Kasib Powell (2025–present)
Sugar Rodgers (2025–present)
Landon Tatum (2025–present)
All-time notes
Regular season attendance
A sellout for a basketball game at Chase Center (2025–present) is 18,064.
Draft picks
2024 Expansion Draft: Iliana Rupert, María Conde, Veronica Burton, Carla Leite, Temi Fágbénlé, Kate Martin, Stephanie Talbot, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kayla Thornton, Monique Billings, Julie Vanloo
2025: Justė Jocytė (5), Shyanne Sellers (17), Kaitlyn Chen (30)
2026: Flau'jae Johnson (8), Ashlon Jackson (28), Kokoro Tanaka (38)
All-Stars
2025: Kayla Thornton
2026: Gabby Williams
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
2026 Sixth Player of the Year: Janelle Salaün
2026 WNBA Finals MVP: Gabby Williams