RotoWire this summer is exploring the WNBA's 50+ defining moments across its 30-year history, including spotlights on individual franchises. Below, we take a look at the 
Golden State Valkyries and their rise in the league on the court and across cultural and business milestones.
After the Sacramento Monarchs folded in 2009, northern California remained without a WNBA team for over a decade, while the league held steady at 12 teams.
That all changed on October 5, 2023, when a WNBA expansion franchise in the Bay Area was announced, beginning the league's current expansion era in an effort spearheaded by Golden State Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.
Golden State's Instance Success as WNBA Market
While most WNBA expansion franchises have endured early growing pains, the team that eventually became known as the Golden State Valkyries bucked that trend. Over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed within the first few hours of the franchise being announced, and that number grew to over 6,000 by April of 2024, more than a year before the team was scheduled to begin play.
When Lacob purchased the Warriors in 2010, he made a bold prediction that the team would win a championship within the next five years. That came to fruition -- and then some -- with the Warriors' dynastic run that has included titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. Lacob made the same prediction during the Valkyries' introductory press conference, signaling that he intended to bring his ambitious style of leadership to the WNBA.
Valkyries Roster Building Through Expansion Draft and Free Agency
The Valkyries were the lone team to participate in the WNBA Expansion Draft ahead of the 2025 campaign, and they had the fifth overall pick in the rookie draft. They selected several impactful players in the expansion draft, including Veronica Burton and Kate Martin, while also bringing in some veteran talent, including Tiffany Hayes, in free agency.
In addition to the initial surge of season-ticket sales, the fans in the Bay Area immediately bought into the new franchise, creating an atmosphere known as "Ballhalla" that gave the Valkyries a substantial home-court advantage, with every regular-season game selling out while setting total (397,408) and average (18,064) WNBA attendance records.
The Valkyries went just 2-3 in May but showed substantial improvement as the new teammates continued to build chemistry with each other, including a 7-4 mark the following month. They also had to deal with some adversity, including Kayla Thornton suffering a season-ending knee injury during practice in late July. In addition to the attendance records, the Valkyries set several on-court records, including most wins in the first season of an expansion franchise with a 23-21 record while also becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their first year.
Despite qualifying for the playoffs, the Valkyries faced an uphill climb as the No. 8 seed with a first-round series on the road against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. Minnesota secured a blowout win in Game 1, but the Valkyries kept things much closer in Game 2. However, Golden State was unable to force a Game 3, losing the matchup 75-74.
Second Season Momentum and Future WNBA Championship Outlook
Several members of the organization took home hardware following the successful season, including Veronica Burton, who was named Most Improved Player, and Natalie Nakase, who won Coach of the Year during her first year as a WNBA head coach after previously serving as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. Nakase has immediately established a strong culture in Golden State, helping the team embrace a gritty approach with strong defensive capabilities that have allowed the Valkyries to achieve unprecedented success so early in a tenure as an expansion franchise.
The Valkyries' success has continued during their second season, including bringing in forward Gabby Williams. The team put together a recent nine-game winning streak that has been the longest in the WNBA over the first half of the year. The team enters the All-Star break with a 19-8 record and could earn its first home playoff series with a strong second half.
Although the Valkyries had lofty expectations placed upon them heading into their first season, they've lived up to the hype and have been embraced in the Bay Area while establishing a core group that should allow the team to maintain competitiveness in years to come.
Check out our other pieces tracking WNBA franchise success and history here:
- Phoenix Mercury History Through 30 Years of WNBA Basketball
- Explore the Dallas Wings' journey from Detroit Shock dynasty to rising contender
- How the Indiana Fever became the WNBA's most-watched franchise
