Kenzo Fukuda Articles - Page 2

After every Golden State Valkyries win, head coach Natalie Nakase always credits her players before saying anything else. And after every loss, Nakase’s always willing to take accountability for how the team played instead of throwing her players under the bus. She acknowledges herself last, and even that is rare. So after an impressive month […]

OAKLAND – The Golden State Valkyries have come under heavy fire for how they handled the release of fan-favorite Julie Vanloo. Vanloo reportedly skipped the EuroBasket championship celebrations in Belgium to fly 18 hours to San Francisco, only to find out the team waived her moments after she touched down at SFO. The situation with […]

SAN FRANCISCO– Natalie Nakase has never wavered about her belief in her players. From the minute the first-year head coach stepped into training camp, all the way to their dominant 84-57 win over the Seattle Storm, Nakase has been steadfast in her belief that the Valkyries can win. And whenever Nakase has vocalized that belief, […]

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s something the Golden State Valkyries knew they would have to face the moment their players departed for EuroBasket. But it doesn’t make the decisions they’ll have to make in the coming days any easier. With Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini, Julie Vanloo, and Iliana Rupert returning from overseas, the Valkyries will likely […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Golden State Valkyries‘ 83-78 win over the Chicago Sky was a slog, to put it lightly. While the Valkyries overcame a slow start to the game, thanks to the efforts of Kayla Thornton and her career-high 29 points, their fatigue seemed to hover over their heads from start to finish. […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – While the stat sheet will remember Kayla Thornton’s career-high 29 points in the Golden State Valkyries’ 83-78 win over the Chicago Sky, that’s not what her team will remember. When the Valkyries look back on this rock fight of a win, in which they were battling fatigue and a hungry Sky […]

SAN FRANCISCO– With no picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors weren’t expected to make any draft night fireworks. But after the Warriors flipped the 41st overall pick they received in the Miami Heat-Jimmy Butler trade to the Phoenix Suns, the Dubs came away with Australian forward Alex […]

SAN FRANCISCO– As the opening of free agency quickly approaches, all eyes turn to Jonathan Kuminga, the biggest domino of the Golden State Warriors’ offseason. With several rival teams eyeing Kuminga through a sign-and-trade as well as Kuminga’s vocal desire to do “special things” regardless of the circumstances, it’s been a mystery as to what […]

There’s no denying the Golden State Valkyries have challenged some of the toughest teams in the WNBA. With close losses to the Phoenix Mercury and the Minnesota Lynx, as well as big wins versus the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces, the Valkyries are going to compete no matter the opponent. But pecking at the […]

SAN FRANCISCO– Being an advocate for the people, both vocally and in action, is nothing new for Natasha Cloud of the New York Liberty. Even amidst the political uncertainty in this country, nothing will ever stop Cloud from speaking up for those who do not have a platform like hers. Ahead of the Liberty’s game […]

Few people expected the Golden State Valkyries to be competitive in their first season in the WNBA. But at 7-6, with five wins in their last six games, the Valkyries have caught the attention of basketball legend Lisa Leslie. On her podcast, Between the Lines, Leslie called Golden State her “dark horse” team in the […]

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase always has her players’ backs, whether on or off the court. After the Valkyries cruised to an easy 87-63 win over the Connecticut Sun, veteran players Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes made a joint statement concerning the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between the WNBA players’ union and the […]

Very rarely does a team re-sign a player after waiving them in training camp. But the Golden State Valkyries are a weird and rare exception. As an expansion team built on many European players, the Valkyries brought back Laeticia Amihere, the breakout sensation from the preseason, to reinforce the team’s frontcourt. And in Golden State’s […]

It takes an incredible combination of coaching, scheme, and personnel to slow Caitlin Clark down. And even then, she still might burn an opposing defense despite every variable going right. But Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase had a game plan for Clark, and she stated it in the clearest terms before the game: pick […]

Caitlin Clark and Stephen Curry have long been compared to one another. Ever since she took the sports world by storm with her unreal deep 3-point shooting, fans can’t help but see the similarities between the two. And in her first-ever visit to San Francisco, ahead of the Indiana Fever’s highly anticipated matchup with the […]

Less than 48 hours removed from a disappointing 80-71 loss to the Dallas Wings, the Golden State Valkyries are looking to up the intensity ahead of their most anticipated matchup of the season. With Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the Bay Area for the first time, the Valkyries will aim to rectify the […]

There are plenty of reasons why the Golden State Valkyries’ suffered an 80-71 loss to the Dallas Wings, who were 1-11 before this game. Wings’ rookie sensation Paige Bueckers continued her hot streak with 2o points and four steals, along with Arike Ogunbowale’s 19 points and six assists. Additionally, the Valkyries were down four critical […]

The Golden State Valkyries have shattered all expectations just 10 games into the season. What began as a feel-good story about a brand-new WNBA franchise bringing women’s basketball to the Bay Area has quickly become something much more than that. As cool as it is that the Valkyries are continuing to sell out the maximum […]

Amid the temporary departure of four players to EuroBasket 2025, the Golden State Valkyries have re-signed guard Kaitlyn Chen and forward Chloe Bibby for the time being. The two training camp attendees who did not make the initial 12-player roster will reinforce the shorthanded but red-hot Valkyries in the coming days. The team announced that […]

SAN FRANCISCO — Ten games into the WNBA season, it’s clear that Kayla Thornton has established herself as the Golden State Valkyries’ de facto X-factor. With her third double-double in a row, Thornton’s career-high 22 points alongside 12 rebounds fueled the Valkyries to a 76-70 win over the red-hot Seattle Storm. Thornton’s versatility on both […]

While Kayla Thornton recorded an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double for the second game in a row, and Janelle Salaün collected a career-high 21 points, only one Valkyrie made WNA history in Golden State’s overtime win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Temi Fagbenle became the first WNBA player to record 8+ offensive rebounds, 4+ steals, and 4+ […]

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s fitting for Natalie Nakase that the Golden State Valkyries’ best performance of their inaugural season came against the Las Vegas Aces and Becky Hammon. The former Aces assistant coach, who helped Hammon and the team to back-to-back WNBA titles, secured a signature 95-68 upset win in front of a raucous Chase […]

Amid a four-game losing streak and all the Natalie Nakase and Becky Hammon reunion storylines, the Golden State Valkyries came away with a stunning 95-68 blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces on primetime television. The unexpected upset was a brilliant all-around team-wide effort. And thanks to Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, and Monique Billings, the […]

It was not a surprise for Becky Hammon when the Golden State Valkyries hired Natalie Nakase to lead the expansion franchise as their first-ever head coach. Ahead of the Las Vegas Aces and Valkyries’ first-ever matchup on primetime television, Hammon revealed that her former assistant coach was highly sought after around the WNBA before she […]

Every team needs an identity if it wants to win games, especially a brand-new expansion franchise looking to establish itself in the WNBA. For Natalie Nakase and the Golden State Valkyries, that identity has been defense. While the shooting has been streaky and the turnovers have been a problem, their hard-nosed, hustling defensive identity is […]

The 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament quickly approaching means question marks for the Golden State Valkyries, the newest addition to the WNBA. Starters Janelle Salaün (France) and Temi Fagbenle (Great Britain) headline the international players likely headed for EuroBasket, as well as key role players Julie Vanloo (Belgium) and Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy). While only Salaün and […]

While the Golden State Valkyries lost their third game in a row after falling 86-75 to the Minnesota Lynx, they still made history. The Sunday night game marked the first time in WNBA history that a franchise sold out its first three home games with 18,000+ fans in the arena. It’s been less than a […]

As the NBA approaches what’s shaping up to be a crazy free agency, the Golden State Warriors are once again at the center of a hurricane of blockbuster trade rumors. With the Dubs looking to retool around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler following an unceremonious second-round playoff exit, they enter the offseason with a lot […]

The purest emotion of an expansion team going through its first season in the WNBA is optimism, and the Golden State Valkyries are no different. From the historic support of the Bay Area fanbase to the established culture of commitment in all facets of the organization, there are plenty of green flags pointing to a […]

Kate Martin’s playing time has been all over the place early in the Golden State Valkyries’ inaugural season. Sometimes she’ll play upwards of 20 minutes. Other times, she’ll only see limited stretches on the court. Martin even caught a DNP in the Valkyries’ second game versus the New York Liberty. That’s just the reality of […]

The Golden State Valkyries were one or two plays away from upsetting the New York Liberty. Trailing 78-77 with 42.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the two teams’ second meeting this week, head coach Natalie Nakase called a timeout to set up a set baseline out-of-bounds play. It was a smart timeout considering […]

While the Golden State Valkyries came up short against the defending champion New York Liberty, Janelle Salaün played one of the best games in her young WNBA career so far. The rookie from France collected her first WNBA double-double, leading the Valkyries with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds through […]

Rocco, the beloved dog of former Golden State Warriors star and Bay Area legend Klay Thompson, has passed away after 13 years of life. Mychal Thompson announced the passing of one of Thompson’s closest companions on the ESPN-LA’s Mason & Ireland show. “As Mase and Ireland always say, when someone dear has departed, ‘Hail fellow, […]

While the Golden State Valkyries clawed and chipped at the defending WNBA champs, they never made the New York Liberty nervous, falling 95-67 at Barclays Center. New York blitzed the Valkyries right from the jump, opening the first quarter with a 22-3 run. While Golden State got the lead down to 11 midway through the […]

While there weren’t many positives for the Golden State Valkyries in their 95-67 loss to the New York Liberty, there was one feel-good moment: Kayla Thornton’s return to the Barclays Center. Thornton’s reception back in New York was fit for a WNBA champion. Right before tip-off, Thornton’s former Liberty teammates welcomed her at halfcourt and bestowed […]

The Golden State Valkyries’ upset 82-73 win over the Los Angeles Sparks was impressive for many reasons. For starters, they entered the game as 11.0-point underdogs and won by nine. It was also the Valkyries’ very first road game, a small milestone for the newest WNBA franchise. More dramatically, the victory was a bounce-back game […]

Despite the 76-74 loss to the Golden State Valkyries, rookie Kiki Iriafen has already given the Washington Mystics a boost of talent three games into the season. Averaging an early double-double with 13.7 points and 10.0 rebounds, she and fellow rookie Sonia Citron have given the 2-1 Mystics a lot to be optimistic about so […]

Before the season began, the Golden State Valkyries fans weren’t happy about how the team handled their 2025 WNBA draft. It began with confusion around the Valkyries waiving Shyanne Sellers in training camp. That confusion then escalated into anger when No. 5 overall pick Justė Jocytė chose to prioritize her national team duties for EuroBasket […]

Minutes after securing her first career win as a head coach, Golden State Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase strolled into the press conference decked out in a fuzzy black robe. The Valkyries beat the Washington Mystics 76-74. Natalie Nakase’s retelling of the locker room celebration after the franchise’s first win: https://t.co/9Tj2FDUEPI pic.twitter.com/WFf9VGRz3d — Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) May […]