If they beat the Dallas Wings today, the Golden State Valkyries will secure their spot in the 2025 WNBA playoffs.
That sentence would have been unthinkable for most people associated with the WNBA one year ago. At that point, the Valkyries were still an organization without a roster — that wouldn't come until December, when the Expansion Draft offered a preview of things to come — and a new team without any kind of blueprint for success.
It would have been a mistake to turn to the 2008 journey of the Atlanta Dream, who finished with a dismal 4-30 record after joining the league. In fact, it would have been a mistake for the Valkyries to turn to any team in the W for guidance or a rubric; until now, no other team had entered the league with the support of a front office with the resources to put their money where their mouth is; no team had come into the WNBA so fully staffed and supported from the beginning.
The Valkyries proved with the Expansion Draft that the team planned to march into the league with eyes wide open and unafraid; they drafted a few familiar names, like Monique Billings, Kayla Thornton, and Kate Martin, but also Europeans who many American fans had never heard of. Confusion and doubt spread, especially online, but Golden State stood by their roster and choices.
The team further surprised fans by drafting Juste Joycte as their first-ever first-round pick this year; Joycte announced she wouldn't come to the US right away, and deferred her rookie season to 2026. The Valkyries continued to stack the roster, ultimately ending up with a cohort of athletes who seemed optimistic and focused, but who were still discredited by many who looked at defending champions the New York Liberty and leaders like the Minnesota Lynx as the bar every other team needed to meet.
And that's been a fair assumption most of the season, especially since the Lynx became the first team to clinch their own playoffs spot and will enter into what might be the most exciting part of the WNBA season in the best position of any team. But the Liberty is hovering just above the Valkyries at No. 5 overall – should Golden State lock in their spot tonight, the two teams won't play right away, but a potential match up could produce fireworks.
What's happening in San Francisco is special
There are a lot of coaches who have made significant moves this season — Atlanta's Karl Smesko, Phoenix's Nate Tibbetts, and, of course, Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve all spring to mind — but none can claim to have achieved such a historic feat quite like Natalie Nakase can. And though she'd be the last person to say it, historic is one of the best ways to describe it.
Perhaps the Tempo and the Fire, two teams who appear hungry and ready to blow the WNBA wide open, will also enjoy surprisingly successful inaugural seasons. Maybe what Nakase and the Valkyries have pulled off can translate; it's always possible that lightning can strike twice. But there's no denying Ballhalla is special — a credit to Nakase, her staff, the fans, and, most importantly, the players who give it all every time they step out on the court.