The Golden State Valkyries took the court for the first time this week during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks. Although the Valkyries will not officially begin the WNBA season until next week, this was the first opportunity for fans to see them play. And they etched their name in the WNBA history books along the way.

The Valkyries preseason game against the Sparks was the third highest attended preseason game in WNBA history, the team announced. The Valkyries will officially open the 2025 WNBA season at home on May 16 which coincidently will also be against the Sparks.

The Valkyries suffered a narrow loss, 83-82, against the Sparks in their preseason opener. The Valkyries were led by Laeticia Amihere’s 20 points off the bench. She shot 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the field, 2-of-4 (50 percent) from the three-point line and 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Amihere spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Dream being cut and picked up off waivers by the Valkyries.

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May 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; An overhead view of the arena during the fourth quarter of the game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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The Valkyries also got nine points each from veterans Monique Billings and Kayla Thornton, both of whom were selected in the expansion draft. Billings added eight rebounds while Thornton grabbed five. They also got eight points, three rebounds and two steals from second-year wing Kate Martin, also an expansion draft selection.

In the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Valkyries were awarded the No. 5 overall pick which they used to select Juste Jocyte from Lithuania. Jocyte is currently preparing for Eurobasket in June with Lithuania, and it’s not yet clear if she is going to join the Valkyries this upcoming season. They also selected Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen in the draft. Sellers was cut over the weekend while Chen is in training camp with the team vying for a roster spot.

At the helm is Natalie Nakase, a UCLA alum and longtime assistant coach in both the NBA and WNBA. Nakase previously was a part of Becky Hammon’s coaching staff with the Las Vegas Aces. Not counting Jocyte, the Valkyries currently have 17 players in training camp, and must cut that number down to at least 12 by the start of the regular season.