The Golden State Valkyries are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The team is scheduled to begin play in 2025 as a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team will play its home games at Chase Center in San Francisco, while being headquartered in Oakland.[2]
| Golden State Valkyries | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | WNBA |
| Founded | 2025 |
| History | Golden State Valkyries 2025–future |
| Arena | Chase Center |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Team colors | Violet, black, white[1] |
| President | Jess Smith |
| General manager | Ohemaa Nyanin |
| Head coach | Natalie Nakase |
| Ownership | Joe Lacob, Peter Guber |
| Website | https://valkyries.com/ |
History
editThe Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which started in 1997, previously had a team in northern California in the Sacramento Monarchs, which played from 1997 until folding in 2009 and won a league championship.[3] After the Monarchs ended, the WNBA remained steady with 12 teams, although there was often talk of expanding the league.[3]
On September 26, 2023, it was reported by The Athletic that the owners of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, were finalizing an agreement to start a WNBA expansion team in San Francisco.[4] Lacob had previously helped found the American Basketball League (ABL), which played before the WNBA, and owned one of their teams, the San Jose Lasers.[4] The ABL folded in 1998 and the Lasers were the last San Francisco Bay Area women's basketball team.[4]
On October 5, 2023, the expansion team was officially announced, with plans to begin play in 2025, being the first expansion team in the WNBA since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.[5][6][7][8] The expansion fee for the franchise was reported to be $50 million over 10 years.[9] It was reported that the team name's would include "Golden State", with announcement of the name, logos, and uniforms to come at a later date.[8]
Within the first few hours of being announced, over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed.[8] On January 30, 2024, Jess Smith, an executive with Angel City FC of the NWSL, was hired as the team's president.[10] On April 16, the team surpassed 6,000 season ticket deposits.[11] Ohemaa Nyanin was announced as general manager on May 7.[12] An expansion draft is scheduled to be held in December 2024, and Golden State will participate in its first WNBA draft in 2025.[13][14]
The team name – Golden State Valkyries – and logos were revealed on May 14, 2024.[15] The logo features the Bay Bridge, symbolizing the connection between San Francisco and Oakland with the cables doubling as wings and the tower doubling as a sword. The thirteen lines from the sword represent the Valkyries as the thirteenth team in the league, and the wings split the space into five triangles to represent the ten players on the court. The outer shape is a V to represent the Valkyries.[15]
Coaches and staff
editOwners
edit- Joe Lacob, Peter Guber (2024–Present)
Head coaches
editOn October 10, 2024, Natalie Nakase was hired by the Valkyries to be their first head coach.[16]
| Golden State Valkyries head coaches | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Start | End | Seasons | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||
| W | L | PCT | G | W | L | PCT | G | ||||
| Natalie Nakase | October 10, 2024 | Current | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 |
General managers
edit- Ohemaa Nyanin (2024–present)
Presidents
editJess Smith (2024-present)
Assistant coaches
editReferences
edit- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Unveil Brand Identity". Valkyries.com (Press release). WNBA Media Ventures, LLC. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "WNBA expansion team awarded to Bay Area, will begin play in 2025". National Basketball Association. October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "What to know about the Warriors' WNBA expansion franchise". ESPN. October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Thompson II, Marcus (September 26, 2023). "Warriors finalizing agreement to bring WNBA team to Bay Area: Sources". The Athletic.
- ^ "WNBA Expansion Team Awarded in Bay Area To Golden State Warriors To Begin Play in 2025". WNBA.com. October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Golden State Warriors Awarded WNBA Expansion Franchise". valkyries.com. October 5, 2023.
- ^ McCauley, Janie (October 5, 2023). "Golden State Warriors granted WNBA expansion franchise to begin play in 2025". Associated Press News.
- ^ a b c Shelburne, Ramona (October 5, 2023). "WNBA announces Bay Area expansion team to begin play in 2025". ESPN.
- ^ Novy-Williams, Eben; Soshnick, Scott (October 5, 2023). "Warriors to Pay Record $50M to Secure WNBA Expansion Team". Yahoo.com.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (January 30, 2024). "Angel City FC exec Jess Smith to head Warriors' WNBA team". ESPN.
- ^ Mastrodonato, Jason (April 16, 2024). "2025 WNBA Draft: Five prospects to watch for Golden State's expansion team". The Mercury News.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (May 6, 2024). "WNBA expansion franchise Golden State hires Ohemaa Nyanin as GM". ESPN. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "Golden State FAQ". Women's National Basketball Association.
- ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 1, 2024). "What's next for Golden State WNBA team? Timeline for name, GM, coach, roster". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b Philippou, Alexa (May 14, 2024). "Golden State's WNBA team to be called Valkyries". ESPN. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Announce Natalie Nakase as Head Coach". valkyries.com. October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.