It’s very easy to get carried away when you’re excited. And when that excitement comes from winning a WNBA championship, you might find yourself doing things you would not normally do. That was exactly the case for Golden State Valkyries star Janelle Salaün, following her team’s triumph over the Atlanta Dream to win the franchise’s first-ever WNBA championship.

In a short video clip shared by a fan, Andy Blake, on X, which has been making rounds on social media, Janelle Salaün was seen flipping the bird during the team’s championship celebration. The moment was brief, though, as the forward quickly realized she was on national television and stopped.

The rather unexpected moment happened with the team gathered behind the WNBA championship trophy, with Tiffany Hayes being interviewed. And while that was going on, Salaün appeared to have spotted someone, perhaps courtside, before making the decision to flip them off. She did it while smiling, so it appeared to be more of a joke or friendly banter rather than a serious confrontation.

Funny enough, this was not the only quite unexpected action of Janelle Salaün that was caught on camera amid the Golden State Valkyries’ championship win and celebration. She also had a rather noticeable reaction when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was being booed.

During the postgame celebrations, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the podium and grabbed the microphone to present the championship trophy. However, the moment she was introduced, the ecstatic home crowd immediately turned hostile, drowning out the arena’s sound system with a deafening, relentless chorus of boos.

Janelle Salaün, who was standing directly over Engelbert’s right shoulder, looked visibly stunned by the reaction. Her unfiltered response to the sheer volume of the boos has also been making the rounds on social media. Regardless, the celebration of the Valkyries’ historic championship continued, with the players soaking in the moment. 

Much like many other players on the Golden State Valkyries team, this is Janelle Salaün’s first career WNBA championship. Interestingly, she is winning it in just her second year in the league. 

Salaün started her WNBA career last season with the Golden State Valkyries, who were also just starting out as a WNBA franchise. She was first signed by the team as an undrafted free agent on a training camp contract.

And she went from an overlooked, undrafted prospect to an immediate rookie starter for the expansion franchise, eventually signing a lucrative multi-year extension with the team in April 2026. Her first year last season saw her deliver an average of 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, earning her a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team.

She not only maintained that elite level of play this season but actually unlocked an even higher level of production. She increased her scoring to a career-high 12.7 points per game, while her three-point shooting jumped to 39.2%, helping her finish eighth in the entire league for total three-pointers made. She also set the all-time WNBA single-season reserve records for total points (509), three-pointers made (93), and double-digit scoring games (27).

And, of course, everything has now culminated in a WNBA championship, even though her contribution in this final series was not as pronounced as what she delivered throughout the season.

Overall, it was indeed a historic moment for Janelle Salaün, the Golden State Valkyries player, and the franchise as a whole. For Salaün, she went from an unheralded, undrafted player on a training camp contract to a record-breaking WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and a champion in just two short seasons. 

For the Golden State Valkyries, they shattered all expectations by building a championship blueprint from absolute scratch, proving that an expansion franchise could capture the heart of the Bay Area and conquer the WNBA in record time.