WNBA expansion teams aren’t always bad. In 1998, the Detroit Shock finished its inaugural season with a winning record of 17-13. Similarly, the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle finished their first-ever seasons with fifteen wins.
At the same time, however, many expansion teams have struggled. The Washington Mystics joined the league in 1998 and only won three games. In 2000, the Seattle Storm only got six victories all season long. The last two expansion teams before the Golden State Valkyries struggled especially. Chicago only won five games and Atlanta only won four.
Given the track record of the most recent WNBA expansion teams, many people expected the Golden State Valkyries to struggle and chase a lottery pick to select their future star. The Valkyries quickly laid that narrative to rest.
The Valkyries already exceeded the win total of several previous expansion teams
With seven wins, the Golden State Valkyries are one of only six teams that currently have a winning record. They even sit above the star-studded Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever in the regular-season standings. Those seven wins are also more than the Washington Mystics, Seattle Storm, Chicago Sky, and Atlanta Dream recorded in their inaugural seasons.
In fact, the Valkyries are one of only three expansion teams to win this many games through their first thirteen games. The other two are the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle.
Considering that the season is still young and the Valkyries are rolling, Golden State is also on track to exceed the number of total wins the Indiana Fever and Portland Fire recorded in their inaugural seasons. Finishing the season with more than ten wins is well within reach for the Valkyries.
Beating the highest win total recorded by an expansion team in its inaugural season will be difficult, though. That distinction currently belongs to the Detroit Shock with 17 wins.
The Valkyries prove that expansion teams can be an immediate success
Starting a new franchise isn’t easy. You have to attract players and fans, but you often can’t convince the top names in the league to join your team. The Valkyries managed to make up for the lack of stars, doing everything by committee and giving role players a chance to shine. That hasn’t only translated to success on the court, but also with the fans. The Valkyries are attracting record-setting numbers of fans at every home game.
Golden State is living proof that expansion teams can be an immediate success and don’t have to lose for years on end as they chase a star to build around. The team’s success should be a lesson to the next expansion teams set to join the league in 2026.