Given I live in the Bay Area, I thought it would be good for me to give some love to the Golden State Valkyries, who just finished their first season in the WNBA. The Valkyries finished the season 8th in the WNBA with a record of 23-21, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Lynx 2-0. They became the first team in WNBA history to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season. As a result, their head coach Natalie Nakase was named WNBA Coach of the Year. This was Nakase's first season as a WNBA head coach after previous stops as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Clippers. For her to coach the Valkyries to such success is truly impressive.
On top of having a great coach, the Valkyries also had some excellent players on their roster. Guard Veronica Burton was named the WNBA's most improved player, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game after averaging 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.5 steals per game the previous season with the Connecticut Sun. On top of that, forward Janelle Salaün was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
What's even more impressive is the Valkyries made the playoffs given the injuries they had to overcome. Their leading scorer Kayla Thornton (14.0 points & 7.0 rebounds) played in only 22 games and underwent season-ending knee surgery in July while guard Tiffany Hayes (11.7 points) missed the final eight games of the regular season due to a knee injury of her own before also missing both playoff games. Given they lost their home playoff game to Minnesota 75-74, one can't help but wonder how the Valkyries would have done had they been healthy. They would have likely finished with a better seed and as a result might have found a way to win a series.
As a result of their stellar play and exciting brand of basketball, the Valkyries brought a lot of energy to the Bay Area. The Chase Center was always packed to the brim and when they had to play their home playoff game at the SAP Center in San Jose, they had a full crowd for that game as well. The entire region was behind them in full force, proving that the Bay Area was long overdue for a WNBA franchise.
Looking ahead to next season, it'll be fun to see how the Valkyries do and how much they build on the success that they had. If they can stay healthy and gain more cohesion as a team, I don't see why they can't make a deep playoff run in 2026.
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