Golden State Valkyries Articles - Page 3

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 […]

The Golden State Valkyries were the first team to test out the Indiana Fever in Caitlin Clark’s first game back from a recent injury. As such, many eyes were on the matchup of former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates Kate Martin of the Valkyries and Clark, who was absent in the previous five Indiana games because of […]

The Indiana Fever got Caitlin Clark back in the lineup on Wednesday, and she had a heartfelt moment with one of her former teammates before the Fever took on the Golden State Valkyries. Former Iowa star Kate Martin has become one of the standouts in Golden State during its first season in the WNBA, and […]

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 […]

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Indiana Fever for the second time this season on Wednesday. While the win brings the Valkyries even with the Fever in the standings, the game means a bit more to Kate Martin. The Golden State guard and Caitlin Clark were teammates back in college, leading the Iowa Hawkeyes 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 […]

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 […]

Kayla Thornton is officially an All-Star for the first time in her 10-year WNBA career. The Golden State Valkyries forward was named one of 12 reserves for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, which will take place July 19 in Indianapolis. Her selection as a reserve drew praise from Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who will serve as […]

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 […]

The Golden State Valkyries have been one of the best stories of the 2025 WNBA season. Golden State is 9-7 and riding a two-game winning streak during the team’s first season in the W. But the Valkyries have now come under fire for making an unpopular roster move. The Valkyries waived veteran guard Julie Vanloo […]

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 […]

Before the Golden State Valkyries in 2025, the most recent WNBA expansion team went 4-30 in their first season. The Atlanta Dream turned it around the next year, and then had four straight winning seasons, but it was a rough start for the franchise that has won three conference titles in its short history. A […]

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 […]

The Golden State Valkyries could not be having a much better debut season on or off the court. Amid the WNBA expansion team’s hot start to the 2025 season, the Valkyries already have the highest value of any team in the league. The Valkyries are estimated at $500 million, the most in the WNBA. That […]

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 […]

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 […]

With injuries and Eurobasket absences racking up around the WNBA, players who narrowly missed making a roster are getting another deserved chance to shine. Bree Hall is one of the latest to benefit after being offered a contract to join the Golden State Valkyries. After news broke of the Valkyries’ signing, Hall’s South Carolina women’s […]

The Golden State Valkyries have reportedly agreed to a contract with guard Bree Hall, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “The Valkyries have announced they’ve signed Bree Hall, the 20th pick in this year’s draft who spent the preseason with Indiana,” Andrews wrote on X, formerly Twitter. As mentioned, Hall was selected by the Indiana Fever […]

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 […]

A heartwarming reunion took place between two former UConn women’s basketball stars just before Tuesday night’s game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. Rookies Paige Bueckers of the Wings and Kaitlyn Chen of the Valkyries met each other on the sidelines, as captured in a […]

No college basketball coach has more alumni in the WNBA than UConn’s Geno Auriemma, who is always rooting for his players’ success. After the Golden State Valkyries re-signed rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen, Auriemma heaped praise on the organization and his former pupil. Auriemma said Chen deserves to be in the league when asked about her […]

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 […]

he Golden State Valkyries signed veteran guard Aerial Powers as they continue to adjust their roster with players leaving for the upcoming EuroBasket tournament. Powers’ addition follows the Valkyries’ 79-74 win over the Los Angeles Sparks and comes as the team’s point guard, Julie Vanloo, departs for EuroBasket. Golden State made the signing announcement Tuesday […]

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+ […]

Kayla Thornton stood tall when it mattered most. With the game hanging in the balance and the clock ticking down, she buried a dagger three that helped the Golden State Valkyries seal a dramatic 89-81 overtime win against the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. THORNTON TRIPLE ⚡ Valkyries now up 6 […]