Monique Billings is officially on the roster for the Golden State Valkyries.
Billings was drafted during the team's Expansion Draft in December, but the Valkyries still needed to come up with a deal that would keep her during free agency. A report by the San Francisco Chronicle published January 28 has made it clear: Billings is locked in.
"I’m so honored to be in this new market, to be a part of an expansion team," Billings told the outlet. "That’s something I never even dreamt of before as even being possible. So being able to be kind of a pioneer with a new team is nothing short of a blessing."
Billings didn't expect to be picked up by the new team
The Chronicle also reported that Billings' agent told her she was eligible for the Expansion Draft back in November, but she didn't think she'd be seriously considered by the Valkyries, especially since she was coming off of a year that had her playing for three different WNBA teams. — the Sparks, the Wings, and the Mercury.
Billings was also overseas playing for the Guangdong Vermilion Birds at the time of the draft when she got a phone call in the middle of the night and was told to turn on her TV.
The Valkyries surprised a lot of WNBA insiders
Many people in the WNBA were surprised when the team drafted Billings in the first place. The 6'4" forward was an unrestricted free agent, the presumption was the Valkyries would need to core Billings and offer her the supermax contract to keep her — something that would have meant a massive pay increase for her but might not have made much sense for the team.
Coach Natalie Nakase was all in for Billings from the start, she told the Chronicle. "The first thing that catches your eye about Monique is how hard she plays," she told the newspaper. "She rebounds the ball, she can cut to the inside, she can protect the rim. She’s the kind of player who will dive after a loose ball on the floor. We feel like we can depend on her."
GM Ohemaa Nyanin was equally enthusiastic. "Monique is a relentless rebounder on both ends," she explained. "She’s a ball of energy. She’s a bright light. I actually had the opportunity to work with her when I was at USA Basketball. We went to Japan together, so I know her really well."