Getting to a valuation of $850 million from just $50 million that Joe Lacob and Peter Guber paid in 2023 for an expansion team speaks to the monumental growth that the Golden State Valkyries have achieved in the short span of their existence. Getting to those numbers required the constant support of their fan base, and the latest data suggests that they have had success in that aspect.
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Per Boardroom data, the Valkyries topped the league when it came to home attendance. By the All-Star break this season, some 270,960 fans had attended the games at the Chase Center across 15 games, averaging 18,064 fans per game, the highest in the league, per the Sports Business Journal.
The Valkyries have edged out the New York Liberty (at No. 2)and the Indiana Fever (at No. 3) on this list, which recorded a growth of 1.4% and 0.4%, respectively.
The league as a whole presents a story of growth: A staggering 3.79 million fans have attended WNBA games in 2026, which represents a growth of over 20% from last year. Justifying the saying that “every game is a home game,” the Indiana Fever attracted the biggest road crowd, with 15,116 fans per game in attendance.
The Valkyries built this success methodically, from day one. The early cues were quite revealing: Soon after the Valkyries were announced as an expansion team, more than 2,000 people lined up for season tickets within the first few hours. That belief and faith from the fans have only endured, as the Valkyries stand possibly four games away from their first-ever WNBA title.
This home attendance data should come as no surprise, given that the Valkyries have already reported that their annual revenue for this year has topped a staggering $100 million, becoming the first-ever WNBA franchise to achieve that feat, according to Boardroom.
This also meant that they are the first-ever women’s sports team in the world to reach that lucrative mark. What’s more, considering that the Valkyries have now reached the Finals, their revenue could top $130 million.
For the Valkyries to hit this pace in their finances and off-court metrics this early in their existence, it required a keen understanding of the fanbase they were catering to. Team president Jess Smith remained keenly aware of this fact.
“What we know about our fan base in women’s sports, and specifically around the Valkyries, is that they want us to be really good stewards,” Smith said, per the San Francisco Standard. “They want us to be powerful and unapologetic.”
The numbers that the Valkyries have recorded in their first two regular seasons show that this growth is not sporadic.
The Valkyries Are Far From Done Yet
For the Valkyries, 44 consecutive home games were recorded as sellouts, with cumulative attendance of 794,816. The streak increases to a staggering 47 games if postseason games are also taken into consideration.
This season, some reported prices for the seats ranged from $300 to $1,500. The demand ran so high that the Valkyries’ management apparently had to cap the season ticket sales at 12,000. If Jess Smith’s words are taken as a hint, the best is yet to come for the Valkyries.
“Last year wasn’t a movie premiere. It was really step one,” she said, per Sportico.
“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,” Smith added. “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.”
Now, as the Golden State prepares for its first-ever trip to the Finals, a key player hails one member of the team without whom getting to this stage would not have been possible.
It has been a remarkable season for Gabby Williams. She was the DPOY at the World Cup and finished second, behind Angel Reese in the same category in the W.
She has averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game this season. Williams boasts a defensive rating of 98.6 and ranks just fourth in the league in steals. But more than the numbers, it’s her ability to come up big in clutch moments that is being hailed by her teammate Tiffany Hayes.
“She’s our closer. It’s Gabby Williams,” said Hayes, per ClutchPoint. “I keep trying to tell people, but I’m just grateful for her to be on my side and not on the other team. She’s one-of-a-kind, man. I really think she doesn’t get enough credit for how hard she works and what she brings to our team. But I’m just glad that she’s here, and the world gets to see it. We’re definitely giving her flowers. We’re gonna lift her up every time through the ups and the downs because we know what she’s capable of. And tonight she showed it.”
Even in the deciding game against the Aces, Williams hit the dagger with just 54.2 seconds remaining to send the Valkyries to the Finals.
After finishing second in the WNBA DPOY race and winning the silver in the World Cup, Williams and Co. will hope that they do one better here and land the Valkyries their first-ever title.