To see evidence of the growth in women’s basketball in recent years, we have to look no further than the Golden State Valkyries. Since joining the WNBA in 2025, the Valkyries have continued to impress with their on- and off-court achievements. Now, as the 2026 regular season draws to a close, the Valkyries’ management wasted no time in announcing a WNBA milestone that no franchise has ever achieved before.

“Only franchise in @wnba history to sell out every home game in each of its first two seasons. We really do appreciate you, Ballhalla,💜” the Valkyries’ official Instagram post read.

After their last game against the Seattle Storm, the Golden State Valkyries announced their 22nd consecutive sellout of the campaign and 44th in franchise history, making it a second straight season without an empty seat at home during the regular season.

For the second straight season, the Valkyries have captured the WNBA crown with an average attendance of 18,064, which is also the capacity of their home arena, the Chase Center. This attendance record is quite significant as the Valkyries only played their first game just over a year ago, in 2025. Jess Smith, President of the Golden State Valkyries, expressed her gratitude to the fans in a statement.

“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.”

The fans’ endearing faith in the Valkyries franchise can be seen from the fact that the Valkyries topped 90% season ticket renewal for the 2026 season, per Sports Business Journal. Since tipping off their inaugural game in May 2025, the team has drawn 794,816 fans to Chase Center. Maria Valdehueza, who serves as the Valkyries’ Senior Vice President of Ticketing and Events, spoke about the grueling process to achieve this.

“We hired our team of 10. I trained every single person that came in here. We developed a road map that was a five- to six-month process. We brought in every single person who had a deposit. We trained the staff to tell a story, to pitch every single person and to sell the season-ticket experience.”

It’s safe to say that chief executive officer Joe Lacob and co-executive chairman Peter Guber’s bet on this expansion team has worked out well. All these record numbers in attendance are reflected in the Valkyries’ valuation as well.

In May this year, when CNBC announced its annual WNBA franchise valuations, the Golden State Valkyries were highlighted on the charts with a $1 billion valuation. In the process, they became the first women’s sports team worth $1 billion.

While all the off-court metrics seem to be going the Valkyries way, their squad strength and form are indicating that this season may be the one when the Valkyries make a deep run in the playoffs.

Can Golden State Valkyries Win The 2026 WNBA Title Led by Gabby Williams?

The Valkyries look likely to secure the second seed heading into the playoffs, with just two games remaining in the regular season. With a 31-11 record, the Valkyries’ charge is led by Gabby Williams, who just capped off a brilliant World Cup with France, losing the gold medal game to the USA.

Williams was judged as the best defensive player at the World Cup, edging out the likes of Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston. Having already earned Best Defensive Player honors at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Williams once again set the standard for France in Germany with relentless on-ball pressure. Routinely drawing the opposition’s primary scoring threat, she paced the French squad with 2.8 steals per game, per FIBA. Williams captured the tournament’s overall scoring crown with 112 total points.

In the WNBA too, Williams finds herself in the running for the DPOY. She is averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game this season. She ranks eighth in the league in steals per game.

While the Valkyries may have exited the playoffs last season in the first round itself, they have a squad full of in-form players who are raring to take this team to the next level this time.

“Teams don’t look at us like a new team anymore,” Golden State guard Tiffany Hayes said. “The next step is going to be harder… We’re a real contender, so it’s making sure we know that going into (the playoffs).”

Four members of the current Golden State roster boast WNBA championship wins, including three-time WNBA champion Kiah Stokes. Cecilia Zandalasini was also part of the Minnesota Lynx squad that won the 2017 WNBA championship. Kayla Thornton won the 2024 WNBA championship with the New York Liberty, while Iliana Rupert won in 2022 with the Las Vegas Aces. Armed with a veteran core with playoff experience, the Valkyries are coming for the ultimate win this season.

Last year, in February, the Valkyries opened their world-class, 31,800 square feet training center. General manager Ohemaa Nyanin was confident in their future of the team mentioned in a statement.

“The Valkyries Performance Center is a testament to our vision of building a championship culture in the Bay Area.”

This confidence has borne fruit this season. With a squad full of world-class talent, expectations are high this year for Natalie Nakase’s team to go all the way. They will have to face the Portland Fire and the Los Angeles Sparks before they can make their way to the playoffs, hoping for a championship run.