Golden State Valkyries, welcome to the WNBA or should we say, WNBA, welcome to the Bay Area! It’s been 17 years since the league expanded, and now, for the first time since 2008, there’s a brand-new team hitting the court. But the Valkyries aren’t just here to fill a spot. They’ve set their sights on something bigger. In fact, they’ve made it clear that their goal is to bring a championship home within five years. That’s a pretty bold vision, but when you’re rolling with a blueprint inspired by Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever, you better believe they’re hustling for it.

But before we get into it, let’s rewind and look at the grand welcome they received. It was supposed to be the WNBA welcoming the Valkyries, but turns out, it is the Golden State making it loud and clear that they were the ones doing the welcoming. 

Valkyries made their debut Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks, and the atmosphere at Chase Center was electric. 17,428 fans packed the arena for a preseason game—that’s the highest attendance of any preseason game this year. Fans were hyped, and you could feel the excitement even through your screen. One fan posted, “If the crowd is like that for preseason, I can’t wait to see it during the season.”

All that hype didn’t go unnoticed. Analyst Rachel DeMita made a bold prediction: “I could see the Golden State Valkyries being a free agency destination for a lot of these players because who doesn’t want to play in front of a sold-out arena in front of a crowd and fan base who is going to ride this hard for this team.” 

Because the crowd wasn’t just there for the ride. When fan favorite Kate Martin scored her first points in a Valkyries jersey, the place went wild. And that wasn’t the end of it. In the fourth quarter, rookie Kaitlyn Chen made her debut, and the arena absolutely erupted. The former UConn Husky finished a fast break layup off an assist from Julie Vanloo, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Sure, the Valkyries lost to the Sparks 83-82, but that comeback earned them a standing ovation. For a team barely a few months old, that kind of connection with the fans is huge. DeMita even compared them to what the Indiana Fever did. “I could definitely see the Golden State Valkyries doing something like the Indiana Fever did. How they transformed their organization and they made sure that they got in these bigger name to surround Caitlin Clark,” she said. 

You know what happened with the Fever. In Clark’s rookie year, Fever led the league in both home and away attendance, with a 265% increase in home game attendance compared to the previous year. Additionally, the Fever saw substantial growth in social media engagement. This brought in key players like DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, and Natasha Howard. Suddenly, they are contenders, and it transformed the franchise. And they made clear they aren’t here just for the hype, they are here to win and be a real team. 

“Some say we arrived because the world knows our name. From the court to the culture, we own the moment… Our road games sound like home games, because our fans don’t ask for permission to dominate. So if you thought we have arrived, now you know.” That’s the campaign Indiana Fever is coming in with.

The Valkyries could follow that same path. With prior championship-level leadership from Nakase, a two-time champion with Las Vegas and GM Ohemaa Nyanin, who played a key role in assembling the Liberty’s championship-winning core, the Valkyries have all the right pieces to build something special. And they won’t have any history of past failures weighing them down—they’re only just beginning.

With jerseys already flying off the shelves and a fanbase that’s louder than ever, the Valkyries are surely setting themselves up for something big.

How is Valkyries’ first season really going to play out? 

May 16 will mark the beginning of a new chapter in WNBA history. The Valkyries will be the first expansion team in years, but don’t think for a second they’re going to be the only ones. Toronto and Portland are joining the league next season, and there are more teams to come after that. 

Golden State is leading the way, and while they could very well set the standard for future teams, there’s also the chance they could become a cautionary tale. Nakase has used her international basketball experience to craft a roster that’s loaded with international talent. 

In fact, the Valkyries have more international players than any team in the league, which is pretty impressive. However, a few of these international players will miss part of the 2025 season because they’ll be playing in EuroBasket in late June. So, Golden State might be a bit short-handed or forced to make some tough roster decisions. 

Either way, head coach Nakase is leaning into a defensive mindset, focusing on that to help mitigate the time it’ll take for the team to gel offensively. Now, we’re not expecting a perfect season. The Valkyries will likely face some growing pains. Historically, only one of 10 expansion teams has posted a winning record in their first season, and the Valkyries are probably no exception. But that’s okay. This is a long-term project.

In fact, their focus for 2025 is less about immediate wins and more about building a strong foundation—building a roster, rotation, identity, and culture. This year is about setting the stage for something much bigger, something that will take shape in the years to come. Golden State’s roster is a mix of WNBA veterans like Tiffany Hayes, Temi Fágbénlé, and Kayla Thornton, along with promising newcomers like Kate Martin and Veronica Burton, and an exciting batch of international players including Julie Vanloo, Stephanie Talbot, and Cecilia Zandalasini. 

None of these players have career scoring averages in double digits yet, but they’re all capable of contributing. Moreover, the Valkyries are diving straight into a tough road. After two games against Los Angeles and one against the Washington Mystics, they’ll face off with the defending champion New York Liberty, then take on the Minnesota Lynx, a reloaded Phoenix team, and the Las Vegas Aces—all in the span of a few weeks. 

So, considering all this, the 2025 season is going to be a tough ride, no doubt. But again, this is just the beginning for the Valkyries. Their future isn’t going to be defined by their first season.