The Golden State Warriors aren’t the only basketball team in town. Meet the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest franchise, who are set to tip off their inaugural season on Friday.
The Valkyries will host the Los Angeles Sparks Friday evening at the Chase Center in San Francisco, marking the second matchup between the two teams in as many weeks. The Sparks narrowly defeated the Valkyries 83-82 in a preseason matchup last week.
The Valkyries are the league’s first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream joined the WNBA in 2008. Here’s everything you need to know about the newest team, from the Valkyries’ logo, roster and origin:
What is a Valkyrie?
Golden State selected a name that embodies its “fierce, bold and strong” identity. The WNBA’s 13th franchise is known as the Valkyries, which is derived from Norse mythology. According to Golden State, ‘Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.’
The Valkyries drew inspiration from the franchise’s NBA counterpart, the Golden State Warriors. Both clubs are owned by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who wanted to create synergy between both teams.
‘We looked at a variety of team names, and we sort of landed in the Warriors-inspired space,’ said Amanda Chin, the Warriors’ Senior Vice President of Marketing. ‘For anybody who doesn’t know, a Valkyrie is a woman warrior. This is a host of women warriors who are responsible for granting an honorable afterlife for the bravest warriors.’
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr approved: ‘Fantastic name, beautiful colors, great logo. … You guys own this look. It’s beautiful and distinctive. I think our fans are going to love it.’
What is the Valkyries’ official colors, logo?
The team’s official colors are Valkyrie Violet — which ‘symbolizes power, ambition, nobility, and women’s empowerment, much like purple has been used symbolically in modern history’ — black, white and gold.
The Valkyries’ logo is a nod to the team’s Bay Area roots. It features the Bay Bridge uniquely shaped like wings with 13 suspension cables to represent becoming the 13th WNBA franchise. The bridge also doubles as a sword, which not only symbolizes ‘courage, power and authority,’ but showcases the weapon frequently depicted with Valkyries. There are more hidden gems featured in the logo, which Golden State breaks down below:
- The outer shape of the logo is a V, reinforcing the V in Valkyries, which symbolizes the unity of a group of Valkyries in flight, and standing for victory.
- The Bay Bridge is depicted to reinforce the team’s presence across the Bay, but specifically the tie between the team’s homes in both Oakland, where the team’s practice facility and front office is located, and San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the team will play all home games.
- The bridge cables double as wings, a strong telegraphic symbol of Valkyries. The five triangles formed within the wings represent the five players facing each other on each side of the court.
- The 13 lines coming from the top of the sword represent the Valkyries becoming the 13th active team in the WNBA.
The Valkyries unveiled a secondary logo in December, which features a golden Valkyrie figure.
Who is the Valkyries’ head coach?
Golden State named Natalie Nakase as the team’s first head coach in October. Nakase has worked alongside many brilliant basketball minds throughout her coaching career. Nakase served as an assistant coach under Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon the past two seasons and was a key piece in the Aces’ back-to-back WNBA championships (2022, 2023). Before that, Nakase spent 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, working her way up from a video coordinator role to be an assistant coach and player development coach for both the Clippers and their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers.
Golden State Valkyries roster
- G Carla Leite, 5′ 9′
- F Kayla Thornton, 6′ 1′
- F Stephanie Talbot, 6′ 2′
- F Janelle Salaun, 6′ 2′
- C Temi Fagbenle, 6′ 4′
- C Kyara Linskens, 6′ 4′
- G Tiffany Hayes, 5′ 10′
- G Kate Martin, 6′ 0′
- G Veronica Burton, 5′ 9′
- F Cecilia Zandalasini, 6′ 2′
- F Monique Billings, 6′ 4′
- G Julie Vanloo, 5′ 8′
Valkyries unveil jerseys, get nod from Draymond Green
Golden State offered fans a first look at its inaugural jersey in December. The jersey, which comes in a white and black colorway for home and away games, features the team’s logo front and center in Valkyrie Violet. The white jersey is called the WNBA Nike Heroine Edition, while the black jersey is called the WNBA Nike Explorer Edition.
Warriors star Draymond Green was spotted wearing the Valkyries’ Nike Explorer Edition jersey on the sideline during the Warriors’ 99-93 win over the Houston Rockets in December.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.