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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 goes to God. For allowing me to be here, to be in front of you guys. To be along with you guys,” Thornton told her teammates and coaches after her selection was revealed. “Thank you guys for trusting me. For taking a chance on me, picking me. It's definitely a blessing but that doesn't come without you guys. Without the coaches giving me the confidence to finally get out of my shell and to be the player I am.”
Thornton's All-Star selection is the first in her 10th season in the WNBA. In putting together what looks like a career year, Thornton has started all 17 games for the Valkyries. She leads the team with 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, career highs in both categories.
With four games with 20+ points and five double-doubles this year, Thornton has been the heart and soul of Golden State's unexpected 9-8 start to the season. Throughout the Valkyries' historic inaugural season, head coach Natalie Nakase has emphasized Thornton's reliability as a big part of the team's success as well as her ability as a closer.
“KT, obviously, comes to my mind again because she's been our most reliable,” Nakase said when asked about who on the team deserves an All-Star selection after the loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
“At the same time, she's closed multiple games. LA Sparks, she closed the game. Against Chicago, she closed the game with a three. Seattle, she closed the game with a three. Washington, she closed the three with a foul and a four-point play. That's pretty reliable down the stretch. KT, she deserves [to be] an All-Star.”
Kayla Thornton's leadership in the locker room
But Kayla Thornton's play on the floor is only one part of why she's so valuable to the Valkyries. Her leadership in the locker room is profound. As the veteran leader, all of the younger players look up to her. And according to Kate Martin, her leadership extends off the court.
“It goes beyond basketball. She's a tremendous person; she's somebody you want to be around all the time,” Martin said after Thornton's career-high 29-point night against the Sky. “She's a great leader in the locker room, a great friend. And so, it's really fun whenever she's all of that, but also a phenomenal basketball player. You can learn a lot from KT and how she plays, and I'm just really glad she's getting all the success that she's getting.”
When the Valkyries selected Thornton in the expansion draft back in December, they knew they were getting a winning role player with proven reps on a championship team. But what Thornton has done in Golden State, as the primary player on both ends of the floor, is one of the best stories in the WNBA this season.
Earlier this season, Nakase emphasized that Thornton's leap this season is a testament to her work ethic in the face of opportunity.
“I think it's both that she prepared for it and at the same time it's an opportunity. Our offense is pretty open. It allows them to play free in space. And so I think she just took the right steps to grow into it. But I love what KT's been saying, is that she's just being herself,” Nakase said.
“Her work ethic, I think, is one of the top in the league. She comes super early to games and practices, so that means she's sacrificing a lot of time, you know, with family and friends, to be intentional and how she prepares. And I think that's something that I see consistently is her preparation for the games and practices.”
