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.
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]
Violet waves to the crowd during a game in August 2025.
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)
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 1998Detroit 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]
↑ "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.
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2025 Golden State Valkyries season 
