Kenzo Fukuda Articles - Page 6

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries played like a team that had five days off in their 99-62 blowout win over the Washington Mystics. Down multiple players to injury, including Tiffany Hayes, who was ruled out with an illness before the game, the Valkyries blitzed the Mystics on both ends of the court. Golden […]

If the Golden State Valkyries needed any more validation for their historic success in their inaugural season in the WNBA, look no further than one of the next expansion franchise’s latest front-office moves. The Portland Fire officially named the Valkyries’ Vice President of Basketball Operations, Vanja Černivec, as its general manager. “I am honored to […]

While the Dallas Wings are still in rebuild mode as the second-worst team in the WNBA, they have Paige Bueckers, one of the most prolific rookies in WNBA history. And after her historic 44-point game against the Los Angeles Sparks, it’s obvious that Bueckers can singlehandedly win the Wings a game if opponents don’t take […]

Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton knows what it’s like to be on the fringes of the WNBA. The Dallas Wings waived her at the start of the 2024 WNBA season, leaving her without a team just two years after the team selected her seventh overall in the 2022 WNBA draft. Burton eventually worked her way […]

Nightmare is one word that could easily describe the Golden State Valkyries’ 81-72 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, and it’s not because Alyssa Thomas steamrolled the Valkyries with a historic 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 16 assists. Golden State’s veteran guard Tiffany Hayes exited the game midway through the third quarter after colliding with Kahleah […]

Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton has exceeded all expectations this season, including those of Natalie Nakase, as the Golden State Valkyries head coach told reporters ahead of their matchup with the Phoenix Mercury. That’s no easy feat, considering the talent Nakase has been around includes players like A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, as well as […]

There’s no denying the Golden State Valkyries fought hard in their 98-91 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. With only eight players available due to Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini’s late injury scratches, the remaining Valkyries stepped up and tested the Mercury through the majority of the game. Veronica Burton continued her Most Improved Player campaign […]

It’s been a career week for Veronica Burton. After the Golden State Valkyries guard became the third player in WNBA history to notch at least 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 75% shooting in her game against the Washington Mystics, the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award continued her hot streak versus […]

Just days after Natalie Nakase made her case for Veronica Burton for the Most Improved Player Award, the Golden State Valkyries guard showed exactly why she’s a frontrunner to win it. Burton collected a career high 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting, along with seven rebounds and seven assists, in the Valkyries’ 88-83 win over the […]

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries secured a comfortable 74-57 win over the Connecticut Sun to advance to 16-15 on the season. After a subpar first half of 3-point shooting, the Valkyries nailed 10 threes in the second half to take care of business in their final game before another short road trip. Tiffany […]

SAN FRANCISCO – There’s been no Golden State Valkyrie more consistent than Veronica Burton. The Valkyries’ point guard has started all 31 games this season, providing the expansion team with steady play on both ends of the floor. And after a statement game in which she held Los Angeles Sparks’ Kelsey Plum to only four […]

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s no secret the Golden State Valkyries miss Kayla Thornton. After losing Thornton, the first All-Star in Valkyries history, to a season-ending knee injury, the team missed everything she brought to the organization. From her two-way excellence as the team’s connector, to her personality off the court and the joy she brought […]

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries secured an important head-to-head tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Sparks in their 72-59 win at home. Veronica Burton, who has started all 30 games of the Valkyries’ season so far, played a huge role in the team getting back in the win column after two disappointing losses to […]

SAN FRANCISCO –  Julie Vanloo is still trying to process her emotions more than a month after being waived by the Golden State Valkyries. Ahead of Vanloo’s first game against the Valkyries, and her first game back in Ballhala, the Los Angeles Sparks guard spoke to reporters honestly and openly about processing all the emotions […]

If you’ve been around the Golden State Valkyries, you’ll notice the team uses the words “connection” and “chemistry” quite frequently. Words like “together,” “communication,” and “culture,” are also staples in the team’s vocabulary. These words show up whenever Natalie Nakase is making a point to highlight the importance of every single one of the 12 […]

While the Golden State Valkyries stood pat at the WNBA trade deadline, it appears they are still expecting a new member to join the franchise in the coming days. On Thursday morning, Chase Center officials found a large, purple-colored egg with gold speckles in the heart of the Thrive City atrium. Violet egg outside of […]

SAN FRANCISCO – The greats always stress that to achieve something worthwhile, it all begins with sacrifice. For Natalie Nakase, the sacrifice is at the heart of the Golden State Valkyries’ success this season. Ahead of the Valkyries’ match with the Las Vegas Aces, Nakase expressed her pride in the fact that her players have […]

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries’ loss to the Las Vegas Aces did not feel as close as the 78-72 final score indicated. The Valkyries’ offense faltered once again, shooting 39.7% from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc, their third-worst 3-point shooting performance of the season. Here are three takeaways from a […]

SAN FRANCISCO – Survival has been the key word for Temi Fagbenle and the Golden State Valkyries this season. The Valkyries have had to survive injury, absences, and arduous road trips; this past week, they experienced all three at the same time. Golden State returns to the Bay Area following an up-and-down five-game road trip […]

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase only half remembers her experience playing in one of the oldest statewide Asian-American high school tournaments in California, the North South Tournament. “It was like 30 years ago,” Nakase laughed when asked if she recalls any fond memories from when she was invited to play in an All-Star-style […]

Somehow, someway, in their fourth game in seven days, Golden State Valkyries found a way to win on the road for the second game in a row. The Valkyries won an ugly 68-67 game against the Washington Mystics to get back to a .500 record on the season. And more importantly, they moved back into […]

SAN FRANCISCO — Heading into their first game back from the All-Star break, the Golden State Valkyries had one thing on their minds: “Win for KT.” And just hours after the team announced All-Star Kayla Thornton would miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury, the Valkyries took down the Dallas Wings […]

SAN FRANCISCO– “Devastating” was the word the Golden State Valkyries all brought up in the wake of all-star Kayla Thornton’s season-ending knee injury. Ahead of the Valkyries’ rematch with the Dallas Wings, head coach Natalie Nakase made an official statement on losing Thornton to a right knee injury. Valkyries Natalie Nakase’s official statement on Kayla […]

SAN FRANCISCO– The Golden State Valkyries were handed devastating injury news ahead of their rematch with the Dallas Wings. The team announced hours before the game that all-star Kayla Thornton will be out for the remainder of the season. Thornton suffered an injury to her right knee earlier this week in practice and underwent successful […]

A 10-12 is not a bad record for the Golden State Valkyries halfway through their inaugural season in the WNBA. According to some preseason predictions, the Valkyries weren’t even supposed to win eight games. In summary, they’ve weathered injuries and EuroBasket absences. In a new situation, veteran forward Kayla Thornton took full advantage of the […]

It’s been a rough two weeks for the Golden State Valkyries. Golden State fell to the Seattle Storm 67-58 for their fifth loss in six games. In their final game before the All-Star break, it was yet another game the Valkyries couldn’t close correctly. Trailing 56-54 with 4:48 left in the fourth, the Valkyries were […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – After the Golden State Valkyries fell 78-77 to Alyssa Thomas’s game-winning free throw, Natalie Nakase told everyone in the press room to put the word “consistency” into each of their headlines. Nakase was once again referring to, in her opinion, the officiating discrepancy. Specifically, the shooting foul was assessed to Cecilia […]

The Golden State Valkyries’ roster has been in flux all season long, which isn’t out of the ordinary for an expansion team in its first season. But the trend continued Sunday morning, as the team announced that it waived veteran forward Stephanie Talbot. Talbot appeared in 16 games for the Valkyries this season, starting in […]

The Golden State Valkyries have caught the eyes of the WNBA this season for their ability to shut down the league’s brightest stars. Whether it’s been slowing down Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Nneka Ogwumike, or Sabrina Ionescu, the Valkyries’ defensive identity has been the key to their unexpected success. But in Las Vegas, A’ja Wilson […]

When the Indiana Fever cut the Golden State Valkyries’ 15-point lead down to 55-50 in the third quarter, it just felt like deja vu all over again. Another game in which the Valkyries’ offense would run cold in another inopportune moment. But on the road in Indiana, while trying to avoid a third loss in […]

It’s no easy feat to contain Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston to a combined 16 points on 6-of-20 from the field. But that’s exactly what the Golden State Valkyries did to snap a two-game losing streak with their 80-61 win over the Indiana Fever. The Valkyries’ balanced defensive game plan in the paint and on […]

After suffering a 90-81 loss to the Atlanta Dream, the Golden State Valkyries took a lot of personal responsibility for their collapse late in the fourth quarter. Kayla Thornton cited their season-high 21 turnovers. Monique Billings emphasized their lack of consistency. Natalie Nakase reflected on her shortcomings as a head coach, pointing to how she’s […]

There’s something intriguing about the two-way potential of Will Richard, one of the Golden State Warriors’ two 2nd-round rookies. After his debut was delayed by pending trade finalizations, Richard finally took the floor for the Dubs’ Summer League squad and took the California Classic by storm. The shooting guard who helped lead Florida to a […]

As the woman who scored the first basket in Golden State Valkyries history, it’s only fitting that Kayla Thornton also makes history as the expansion franchise’s very first WNBA All-Star. The league announced Sunday morning that Thornton was one of 12 reserves voted to the WNBA All-Star Game by the league’s head coaches. “First, it […]

There were bound to be heated emotions in a matchup between the top two defenses in the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries and the Minnesota Lynx. For the Valkyries, it came from head coach Natalie Nakase. The first-year head coach collected the first technical foul of her coaching career midway through the third quarter of […]

After the Golden State Valkyries’ red-hot performance in June, they will embark on an 8-day road trip to open the month of July, starting with a rematch with MVP candidate Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx. These next four games on the road will be a test for the Valkyries, as one of the hottest […]

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, […]