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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 Thornton’s season ending knee injury:
“Really devastated. KT is a huge part of who we are, what we stand for and where we are today… what we’re going to try to do tonight is come together and play our hearts our for her.” pic.twitter.com/aeTdJR1U6E
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) July 26, 2025
“Obviously, with [Thornton], I'm really devastated. Obviously, by the news [of her injury],” Nakase said in her pre-game press conference. “KT is a huge part of who we are, what we stand for, and where we are today. She's our leader. She has a massive presence. Shoot around definitely wasn't the same without her.”
Without Thornton, the Valkyries will be without their leading scorer and their leading rebounder, not to mention one of their most versatile defenders. In the same press conference, Nakase talked about how the team is preparing to rally without their best player.
“Just coming together. Understanding [not only] one player can take her spot. It's about us coming together in terms of like our communication, because she has such a big voice,” Nakase emphasized. “Her energy, her rebounding, her sacrifice to dive on the floor. So it's bringing out, like we talk about exhausting our minutes, because that's how she plays. And then obviously making the right play offensively and spacing the floor. The internal communication that she has for everyone is constant support and encouragement. So I think everyone is just going to have to play their part.”
Nakase declined to answer questions regarding the severity of Thornton's knee injury as well as how she's doing in the wake of the injury. Nakase told reporters she and the team wanted to keep those details private until Thornton is ready to speak on it herself.
Kate Martin on one of her “closest friends” on the Valkyries
During her pregame shootaround, Kate Martin talked about how losing Thornton for the season affects her and the team emotionally.
“Everybody sees what she brings to the basketball court; she's an all-star. So people are obviously very sad,” Martin said. “She's one of my closest friends on the team, so we just wish her nothing but a speedy recovery. We're going to be there for her and support her through this healing journey.”
Martin also declined to get into the weeds about how Thornton is doing post-successful knee surgery. She mentioned that she is glad Thornton's family is in the Bay Area to support her through this difficult time. Martin later talked about how she's personally feeling in the wake of Thornton's injury.
“Devastated, honestly. Like, it's hard. You never want to see one of your closest friends and teammates go through an injury. And I've been there, and it's not fun. We know the road ahead for her, what it is, but we're just going to support her in every single way possible.”
Golden State will look to players in their rotation, like Martin, moving forward to supplement the loss of a player as versatile as Thornton. But regardless of the X's and O's, it's clear the Valkyries as a team are reeling from losing one of their best players, their heart and soul, to a freak injury. At the end of her pre-game press conference, Nakase summed up the emotional state of the team.
Natalie Nakase on how Kayla Thornton is doing emotionally in the wake of her season-ending injury:
“Again, I’m gonna keep it private and wait for her so she can speak on it… But again, it wasn’t the same. We’re missing our leader. We’re missing the energy and the enthusiasm.” pic.twitter.com/NLkWkrEiNR
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) July 26, 2025
“Again, we're missing our leader, you know, we're missing the energy, the enthusiasm, the heart of our team. All I could say is how we feel, we're in pain. And we talk about all the time, like short-term pain for long-term success, and so we talked about it, like, and I just said, if you guys are in pain, just tell me. And if you guys just don't want to have a shootaround, we could not have a shootaround,” Nakase said.
“So, [the players] talk about moving and doing this for her. And I think that was very much a mature response because at the end of the day, we always think, too, like, you know, this could happen to anyone. And so it's just devastating that it happened to our leader.”
