In the new year, the WNBA will welcome their latest franchise as the Golden State Valkyries enter the fray.
Northern California previously saw the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA from 1997 to 2009. Fast forward to 2023, and the Golden State Warriors owners were looking to start an expansion team in San Francisco. In May 2024, they made it official, announcing the arrival of the Golden State Valkyries. Golden State will be the first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008 to join the league.
The Warriors paid a record $50 million over 10 years to secure their new WNBA team.
The Golden State Valkyries Ownership
Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are also the owners of the Golden State Valkyries. The team will be playing their home games at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Lacob has experience in women’s basketball as an investor in the American Basketball League, which played prior to the WNBA.
Peter Guber is a co-owner of multiple sports teams. Along with the Valkyries and Warriors, he has a co-owner role with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles FC, and eSports organization aXiomatic Gaming.
Founded date
The Golden State Valkyries were announced as the league's 13th franchise on October 5, 2023.
Head coach
Former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase was announced as head coach on October 10, 2024. She takes on the role with over 16 years of basketball coaching experience, including some time with the LA Clippers in the NBA.
Being part of the back-to-back title-winning Aces teams, Nakase brings with her a winning culture and plenty of experience at all levels of the game.
Personnel information
The Valkyries announced Jess Smith as the team president in January 2024. Smith was an executive with Angel City FC of the NWSL.
They announced Ohemaa Nyanin as the general manager in May, bringing a wealth of experience from her time as Director of Basketball Operations and Assistant General Manager of the New York Liberty.
Nyanin also spent five years as an assistant director of the Women’s Basketball program at USA Basketball, aiding their 2016 Olympic gold medal and 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title win.