The Golden State Valkyries -- The WNBA's 13th franchise -- will make their debut in the league in 2025. The Valkyries may have a difficult time competing for a postseason spot in their first season, but fans are excited nonetheless. In fact, the Valkyries are reportedly the first WNBA team to sell 10,000 season tickets, according to ESPN.
The Valkyries also announced the news on social media.
"10,000 of the best fans in the game. Thanks for making history with us time and time again. We can’t wait to see each of you this summer," the team's account on X (formerly Twitter) wrote.
The Golden State Warriors of the NBA have become one of the most popular franchises in all of sports over the past decade. With Stephen Curry leading the way, Golden State has become a powerhouse in the NBA. Fans in San Francisco are clearly prepared to embrace the WNBA team as well. Basketball's all-around popularity is clearly increasing in the area, and the Valkyries are expected to receive plenty of support from the fans in 2025.
The WNBA has three more franchises set to join the WNBA in the future-- with the teams representing Toronto, Portland and Cleveland. In 2025, however, the Valkyries will be the only new expansion team.
Golden State already had an expansion draft. The Valkyries are now preparing for the 2025 WNBA Draft.
As mentioned, there are no guarantees that the Valkyries will play a competitive brand of basketball in their first season. It often takes expansion teams -- regardless of the sport -- a few years to settle in and begin making serious noise in the standings. That said, anything can happen.
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase has valuable experience. She has previously worked as an assistant coach for a Las Vegas Aces team that found no shortage of success. Nakase understands what it takes to win in the WNBA. She is the perfect fit for the WNBA's 13th franchise.
Regardless of how the franchise's first season in the WNBA ends up going, the future is bright for the team. One has to imagine that free agents will be interested in joining the Valkyries down the road if the fans come out and support like they are expected to do this year.
In 2024, the Indiana Fever received no shortage of attention. Perhaps the Valkyries will emerge as one of the more popular teams in the league in 2025.