Maybe it\u2019s too soon to consider the possibility. Or maybe it\u2019s not. Fifty-one regular-season games into franchise history, can we talk right now about the Golden State Valkyries as WNBA title contenders?<\/p>\n
This is a conversation that once seemed like it would be more realistic in a year or two. Or in the five-year window that owner Joe Lacob gave his executives and coaches when the franchise was announced in October 2024. But are we ready to have it now, less than 10 games into the Valkyries\u2019 second season?<\/p>\n
Why not? The second-place Valkyries are preparing to take on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in a nationally broadcast game that will show off the sport\u2019s first billion-dollar franchise; its diehard fanbase; and a healthy, complete roster that has shown depth, versatility and grit.<\/p>\n
With the arrival of 20-year-old<\/a> guard Just\u0117 Jocyt\u0117<\/a>, the Valkyries\u2019 top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the team that general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and head coach Natalie Nakase have constructed is finally complete.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also stable. At least, it\u2019s a lot more stable than last season, when the EuroBasket tournament gave the Valks the churn-iest roster in the W<\/a>. They still became the first expansion franchise in league history to make the playoffs in Year 1.<\/p>\n A season later, the pieces are in place, and they look really, really good together.<\/p>\n Golden State is off to a 5-2 start and coming off the most exciting win in franchise history on Thursday, a 90-88 nip-and-tuck win over the Indiana Fever that showed off its best attributes. A 25-point game by point guard Veronica Burton<\/a> that also included a career-high five blocks. Nineteen points each from Gabby Williams<\/a> and Janelle Sala\u00fcn<\/a>. The defense holding Fever stars Caitlin Clark<\/a> and Aliyah Boston<\/a> to a combined 7-for-23 shooting night. Collecting 11 blocked shots as a team and stifling Indiana down the stretch.<\/p>\n And still, the best may be yet to come.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had three practices together as a healthy team,\u201d Nakase told reporters before Thursday\u2019s game. \u201cIt\u2019s still early having them all in one gym. I\u2019m looking for the connections being made. I am looking behind the scenes. I am looking at the communication, the connections at practice, chatting with each other at the practice table.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women\u2019s Sports Daily<\/strong> On the court, the Valkyries rank first in the league in scoring defense<\/a> (78.0 points allowed per game), first in 3-pointers made per game<\/a> (10.9), third in turnovers forced per game (14.1) and third in opponent field-goal percentage (41.7%).<\/p>\n The balanced scoring and fundamental unselfishness of this team shows in the fact that 11 players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game<\/a>. On Memorial Day, at home against the Connecticut Sun, the Valks tied a league record with 12 players scoring<\/a> and put up a season-high 53 bench points.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the addition of Williams<\/a>, with her versatility and ability to be a defensive disruptor, in free agency has been seamless in terms of both style and substance.<\/p>\n Still, getting to this point, seven games into the season, has not been without its bumps.<\/p>\n Iliana Rupert<\/a>\u2019s pregnancy was surprising, leaving the Valkyries without a true big inside. Your business can reach over 3 million women\u2019s sports fans every single month!<\/strong><\/p>\n Here at The IX Basketball<\/a> and The IX Sports<\/a>, our audience is a collection of the smartest, most passionate women\u2019s sports fans in the world. If your business has a mission to serve these fans, reach out to our team at BAlarie@theixsports.com<\/a> to discuss ways to work together.<\/p>\n This franchise is built on its identity as much as on any star player, even with the seamless addition of Williams and as Burton\u2019s profile rises across the league<\/a>. A team of defensive grinders willing to embrace their roles, be ready when their numbers are called and play to Nakase\u2019s vision is coalescing into something worth watching every night.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you add a player like Gabby Williams, you are adding somebody with championship experience and somebody who can play a lot of different roles,\u201d Fever head coach Stephanie White<\/a> told reporters. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve always been a big fan of Veronica Burton and Tip Hayes [who played for White in Connecticut].<\/p>\n \u201cThis roster is good from top to bottom, and they play so well together. \u2026 There is a toughness and a grit about them. They make you earn everything on both ends of the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
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We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women\u2019s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women\u2019s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!<\/p>\n
Ballhalla didn\u2019t like the draft night trade of rookie Flau\u2019jae Johnson<\/a> to Seattle, or the subsequent waiving of the player they got for her, Marta Suarez<\/a>. And it definitely didn\u2019t appreciate fan favorite Kate Martin<\/a> getting cut right before the start of the regular season. But Golden State now has the players it wants on the floor.<\/p>\n