Coming into this year, the Golden State Valkyries had already made several headlines for their unimaginable success in their debut season in 2025, from becoming the first expansion side in league history to reach the WNBA playoffs to Natalie Nakase and Veronica Burton winning Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year awards, respectively. However, the Valkyries took it up a notch this season and are now in the WNBA Finals, a feat that takes other teams years in just two seasons.

With this rapid rise to the top, The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill has also highlighted the franchise’s work following the Valkyries’ 3-0 sweep over reigning champions Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals.

“I can’t think of another expansion franchise that has done what the Valkyries have been able to do after two seasons. They have the highest attendance in the league, the highest valuation, and now they’re headed to the W Finals. That is an absurd trajectory.” Hill wrote on X.

In two seasons, the Valkyries already have the most dedicated fanbase of all the WNBA teams, and their crowd attendance at the Chase Center and beyond reflects that to the fullest. In their inaugural season, the Valkyries set the all-time WNBA record for average attendance (18,064) and total fans (397,408), while also selling out all 22 regular-season games at the Chase Center. This is more than the likes of the Indiana Fever (349,313) and the New York Liberty (341,575).

And this season, the Valkyries ran it back, as the franchise announced in September that it had its 22^nd sellout of the year and 44^th overall. Even Valkyries President Jess Smith was surprised by the reception the franchise received.

“When we launched our brand and introduced this team to the world last year, the reception was amazing. But seeing how our fans have shown up in year two has been special. We didn’t think it was possible, but they brought even more passion, energy, and sense of community this season. We can truly feel that this culture is built for the long haul.” Smith said.

Coming to Hill’s second point, that being the franchise’s valuation, which is just as big a story as their attendance record. The Golden State Valkyries are the most valuable franchise in WNBA and women’s sports history, worth $1 billion, according to CNBC’s annual WNBA franchise valuations in May. While this is a groundbreaking figure, Jess Smith expected the Valkyries to hit this valuation early on.

“If you’re following the continued growth of each [women’s sports] league, and specifically the WNBA, this is just the beginning of what’s on the horizon,” Smith, who won the inaugural WNBA Business Executive Leadership Award last season, told Yahoo Sports.

“When you look forward, you see what’s possible with more games, more visibility, more media dollars, more ticket sales, more merchandise and more international opportunities. Seeing the market grow as quickly as it did, especially in this specific league at this specific time, it’s a fair valuation and there are more teams that will get there soon.” She added.

As the WNBA’s rapid growth continues with the playoffs, Smith’s words become truer day by day. Last season, the Valkyries generated a league-leading $78 million in their debut campaign, 48% more than the Indiana Fever. And this year, the Valkyries became the first women’s sports team to surpass $100 million in annual revenue, according to Sportico.

With record attendance and ticketing, the Chase Center integration, and the fact that the Valkyries are operated on a similar scale to the Golden State Warriors thanks to franchise owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the Valkyries have reached uncharted territory as a WNBA franchise, and this is the kind of “absurd trajectory” that made Jemele Hill highlight the Valkyries’ success.

But the best news for the Valkyries is that all of this success has translated to the hardwood as well, especially this season. For Hill, it happened because the Valkyries made one of their most important signings this offseason.

Jemele Hill credits Gabby Williams for Valkyries’ success

The Valkyries’ debut run was iconic. But finishing as the eighth seed, it was clear that head coach Natalie Nakase’s side hit its talent ceiling against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, who swept them in the first round of the playoffs.

While the franchise re-signed core players like Veronica Burton, Janelle Salaun (2026 Sixth Player of the Year), Tiffany Hayes, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Kayla Thornton, the addition of French star Gabby Williams is what Jemele Hill believes helped the Valkyries secure their first WNBA Finals berth.

She highlighted her name alongside another star player whose immediate impact helped the Atlanta Dream reach their first WNBA Finals in 13 years.

“Angel Reese was traded to the Dream on April 6. Not even a week later, the Valkyries signed Gabby Williams to a multi-year deal. These are the two most important additions in the offseason and now they meet in the Finals. Unreal.”

As a child, Gabby Williams used to spend her springs and summers playing on local courts in the San Francisco Bay Area. And this year, her roots led her back to where she has always felt she belonged. So much so that Williams admitted she feels like she has “superpowers” while playing at the Chase Center.

“I came here just because I just wanted someone to believe in me. That’s really it — in the league, at least, I never quite got that belief in the ‘W’ from the staff or from teammates.” Williams said while explaining her move to the Valkyries.

With the Valkyries, the 30-year-old forward has enjoyed her finest season in the WNBA yet, averaging 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 40.4% field goal efficiency.

In her last three postseasons, Gabby Williams was knocked out by the Las Vegas Aces. Moreover, the Aces’ core of A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray was the reason for France’s 67-66 demise against Team USA in the finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

But this time, as a Valkyrie, Williams flipped the script on them. Golden State swept the reigning champions 3-0 in the semifinals, as Williams recorded 25, 20, and 16 points in each game, respectively.

Gabby Williams and the Golden State Valkyries now face the Atlanta Dream in their first WNBA Finals, a team they swept 3-0 in the regular season. But with the WNBA championship on the line, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this best-of-seven series starting October 17 at the Valkyries’ fortress, the Chase Center.