Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries are the WNBA's newest Bay Area entrant, playing at Chase Center in San Francisco under Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. As the league's first expansion team since 2008, the Valkyries arrived with immediate buzz, selling out their inaugural season and instantly becoming one of the league's top draws. Their arena-district energy and instant fan support made them a rare expansion success story from day one.

Founded in 2025, the Valkyries became the first expansion team in WNBA history to reach the playoffs in their debut season, finishing 23-21 under first-year head coach Natalie Nakase. The franchise has yet to win a championship but set attendance and buzz benchmarks that reset expectations for what a first-year WNBA team can accomplish.