Valkyries: Looking back at the historic inaugural season
OAKLAND, Calif. - After a historic inaugural season and a heartbreaking playoff loss against the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries fans are bittersweet.
Marlo Rodriguez of Oakland, is packing away her mementos, including her letterman jacket and a collection of signs she made for the games.
Rodriguez said she was at nearly every game, watching the rise of the first WNBA expansion team since 2008.
She said her expectations were not high at the start of the season.
"The very first preseason game we lost, and it was like ‘oh it’s okay,’ but then we just started winning and winning and just getting better and better and it was just electrifying," she said.
Breaking records
The team is beginning a new legacy as it made history as the first WNBA expansion team to clinch the playoffs and won a record number of games.
Head Coach Natalie Nakase was named WNBA Coach of the Year.
"We’re uncommon, we’re the first to do this, we’re the first expansion team to go this far," said Nakase at the postgame press conference on Wednesday night.
At a closing press conference Thursday afternoon, the league’s most improved player of the year Veronica Burton, said, "It was just an incredible season, and I’m just proud of what we were able to do."
They also made business history, Sportico valued the Valkyries at $500 million, which is the most valuable franchise in women’s pro sports.
Expanding WNBA's influence
Sports Communications Professor at San Jose State University Shaun Fletcher said he believes this could have a broader impact on player salaries and resources for women’s sports.
"They put a great product out there on the floor and we’re seeing what happens when you invest in women’s sports," he said. "They’ve created a blueprint that’s going to lift all boats."
The WNBA already has five more expansion teams coming by 2030.
Despite a number of roster changes and injuries, Nakase was able to bring in international players throughout the season, who told reporters on Thursday that nothing compares to the spirit of ‘Ballhalla.’
"This energy is just so special," said center Iliana Rupert, who joined the team in July from France.
For devoted fans like Rodriguez, it’s also about the newfound community.
"We’ve just become fast friends with people that you sit next to, people on the ferry," she said.
The team is openly chasing a championship title within 5 years and the fanbase is ready for the next chapter in the Valkyries story.
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Valkyries' Natalie Nakase named 'Coach of the Year'
The Golden State Valkyries are having quite the inaugural season. In addition to making it into the playoffs, the team has led the WNBA in attendance records, and its head coach has been named coach of the year.