On September 4, 2025, the Golden State Valkyries clinched a spot in the playoffs, becoming the first-ever WNBA team to make it to the playoffs in their inaugural season. In just one year, the Valkyries have broken WNBA attendance records, built a passionate community and given the Bay Area a new generation of inspiring female role models.
During the 2025 season, the Bay Area welcomed the WNBA’s first expansion in 17 years, the Golden State Valkyries. In their four-month-long season, despite being projected by ESPN’s analytics model to win 13 games—already above the average for an expansion team— the team won 23 games, marking the most games an expansion team has ever won in the WNBA.
Although the Valkyries are the first official WNBA team to call San Francisco home, women’s basketball has had a long history in Northern California. In the late 1990s, the San Jose Lasers played in the short-lived American Basketball League, a competitor to the WNBA that was disbanded in 1998. Around the same time, the Sacramento Monarchs joined the WNBA as one of its founding eight teams. The Monarchs thrived for more than a decade, even winning the 2005 championship, but financial struggles forced the franchise to shut down in 2009.
For the past 16 years, the Bay Area has gone without a women’s pro team—until now. The launch of the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 marks the league’s long-awaited return to Northern California, bringing WNBA basketball back to a region with deep roots in and support of the women’s game.
While past Bay Area teams struggled to stand the test of time, the Valkyries have distinguished themselves from the start by pairing elite on-court talent with a vibrant, devoted fan culture.
photo by Noemi Guitron ’26
When the Valkyries debuted, fans poured in with record-breaking numbers, creating an atmosphere that surprised even longtime league followers. The fanbase has broken WNBA attendance records, with their highest total headcount reaching 397,408, and average game turnout exceeding 18,000. But the Valkyries have not just built a team—they have built a community and an environment where every fan is engaged and energized, fueling a home-court advantage unlike anything the league has seen. Jonah Rucker ’26 and Olin Meyer ’26, members of the Lick Wilmerding High School varsity basketball team and avid fans of the Valkyries, have felt the energy firsthand. “Everyone was really into it. It was so loud, and it was just really fun to be around everyone with that much passion,” Rucker said.
Furthermore, the Valkyries have embraced early arrival incentives that increase turnout, with fundraisers, sponsor booths, free goodie bags and merchandise boosting fan excitement.
In addition to their skills, their charisma and energy make fans fall in love with the Valkyries. Rookie Kaitlyn Chen has quickly become a fan favorite, not only because of the work she puts in but also because of her authenticity. “When we see her doing the dances we do, singing the songs we sing, it’s so easy to root for her and want to see her succeed,” Meyer said. Chen also brought new representation to the WNBA as the first Taiwanese American player in the league. “I think there are a lot of people who can see themselves in her. People really notice when something like this happens, especially in such an Asian American-heavy represented place like the Bay Area,” Juliet Chen, a senior at The Nueva School, said. Even with an average of 10.3 minutes per game, Chen has one of the top ten most-sold jerseys across the entire WNBA.
However, it is no secret that the Valkyries’ talent alone would be enough to turn heads. Tiffany Hayes brings nonstop energy, the kind of hustle that gets the entire crowd on its feet. “She’s always the one diving for loose balls and fighting through contact. Players like that get the whole crowd on their feet, jumping up in their Tiffany Hayes jerseys,” Meyer said. Among the many Valkyries fans packing in Chase Center is Victoria Sinkler ’26, a season-ticket holder who has been captivated by the team’s play. “Even as a rookie, Carla Leite has developed quite a following. I love Carla Leite and how fearless she is when driving to the basket,” Sinkler said. “She’s killing it.”
But the rise of individual players to stardom is not isolated to the Valkyries. Across the league, stars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are catching the eyes of WNBA fans. “I think people are finally realizing that, like, oh, there’s not as crazy a skill difference between the WNBA and NBA,” Rucker said.
doodle by Noemi Guitron ’26
While the Valkyries’ season ended with a tough playoff loss to the Lynx, their first year was nothing short of historic. “It was just such a moment for women’s basketball that was unprecedented…even though we weren’t able to get past the Lynx, I still think it was such a momentous occasion that warrants celebration,” Sinkler said.
The Valkyries’ success shows young athletes that this is more than just another sport to watch. It is a movement—one that expands representation and gives aspiring athletes new role models. For fans such as Stella Luongo ’26, the difference in representation is already evident.“When I was younger, compliments would be like, ‘Oh, that was like Steph Curry or Draymond Green.’ But now, younger girls can be like, ‘Oh, Caitlin Clark or Veronica Burton,’” Luongo said. “They can aspire to [be like them] because there’s so much more visibility.”
For others, the Valkyries’ rise carries an even deeper meaning. Val McGinty, a devoted season-ticket holder and original advocate for a WNBA expansion team in the Bay Area, says watching the team succeed alongside her daughter feels like being part of a more inclusive world finally taking shape. “Standing next to my daughter in a sold-out Chase Center with 18,000 fans cheering for these women—it makes me choke up. I have never been so proud to support a team, and it shows just how far the game has come for women,” McGinty said.
In the end, the Valkyries’ impact goes beyond wins and losses. It is about a league growing in talent, diversity and visibility—and a new generation finally seeing themselves on the court.
