Valkyries not fulfilled by historic 2025 season as they look to take next step originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Last season, the Valkyries were introduced to the WNBA in their 2025 inaugural season.
No one had any idea what would ensue.
History.
Golden State became the first expansion team in WNBA history to qualify for the playoffs, finishing as the 8th seed with a 23–21 record. The Valkyries set the record for most wins by an expansion team and sold out all 22 home games, setting a new league-high for total and average attendance.
Additionally, Natalie Nakase was named the 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year, leading a team built from the expansion draft and free-agent players to top-three rankings in defensive rating and opponent field goal percentage.
But none of that matters to Nakase and her Valkyries as they enter their second WNBA season.
“Nothing can carry over from last year,” Nakase said before Golden State’s 2026 home opener against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at Chase Center. “Like no point can carry over, no win, no award, like my Coach of the Year, it goes out the door. Everything’s a clean slate.
“And you got to see the beauty of that, right? A clean slate means you can imprint in a different way. We lost our first game last year, so this game tonight means a lot to us. And it’s how we approach every single game – it’s a win-or-die mentality. And so that focus doesn’t change, and we feel like we have brought in a lot of our continuity from last year. So with that, the goal has to be bigger for us in terms of where we feel we could reach it.”
The Valkyries 2025 season ended with a heartbreaking 75-74 loss to the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series last September.
That taste of storied success and crushing playoff loss ought to fuel how the Valkyries approach the 2026 season, right? At least some momentum from Ballhalla can carry over?
“No,” Nakase said, firmly. “What’s your momentum piece?”
Because to Nakase, a two-time WNBA champion as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces, a first-round playoff exit isn’t a success story.
That mentality is a direct reflection of Golden State owner Joe Lacob’s lofty goal for the Valkyries.
“I’m telling you right now, we will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise,” Lacob announced during the team’s unveiling event in 2024.
The confident proclamation sparked some league-wide skepticism, but those who know Lacob weren’t surprised. When he bought the Warriors in 2010, he made the exact same prediction.
Four years later, the Warriors then won their first NBA championship in four long decades.
Lacob’s ambitious goal has been welcomed and embraced by Valkyries leaders, such as Nakase and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, with Nyanin describing the goal as a “clear and concise directive that acts as the team’s “North Star.”
The point is: last year was last year.
It was a cute, feel-good story to the outside sports world, but within the Chase Center walls, expectations are much higher than a Cinderella story. Nakase is reminded of that every time she looks up at the Warriors’ championship banners.
A large part of the Warriors’ success was their continuity around the dynasty of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steve Kerr. In Year 2, the Valkyries were fortunate to retain most of their roster from last season, with Veronia Burton and Kayla Thornton thriving as the leaders of the pack.
But changes and additions are needed. The Valkyries signed star defender Gabby Williams and three-time WNBA champion Kiah Stokes this offseason.
As Nakase navigates roster lineup mix-ups, she was asked how to balance the line between maintaining continuity and evolving as a team.
“Yeah, really good question. It’s really about the holes that we’re trying to fill and improve on from last season,” Nakase said. “I think Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes bring a different dynamic. [Williams is] one of the best two-way players in the world. So how do you say no to that type of dynamic? But it’s also Gabby and Kiah’s selflessness that comes with it.
“I’m telling you guys, the depth of our roster is really very powerful, and you may not see that every single night, but I think as we continue to grow and learn each other, having that selflessness is really going to be key when that ball is moving, maybe a little bit extra sometimes, or when we have each other’s back on the defensive end.”
It’s early, but the Valkyries are off to a solid start as they remain undefeated after Sunday’s 95-79 win.
There is a long way to go, and while it’s fun to talk about what the Valkyries accomplished last year, it’s now Nakase and her team’s focus to take that to the next level in Year 2.
