The Golden State Valkyries are on the precipice of the team's inaugural WNBA season and quite possibly no one is more excited about that than the players themselves.
A lot of people have preemptively ruled the Valkyries out this season. That attitude is understandable when one considers the path of the most recent team to join the WNBA, the Atlanta Dream. The Dream was announced in January 2008 and the expansion took place the next month. The Dream ultimately suffered 17 straight losses — the longest losing streak at the beginning of a season in WNBA history — from the jump (they're evenin the Guinness Book of World Recordsfor "Worst start to a WNBA season, team"). Having said that, the Dream have clearly rebounded and have made it to the playoffs 9 times — though have yet to win a championship.
But that was then, and this is now, and the 2025 Golden State Valkyries are a very different team than the 2008 Atlanta Dream.
Kate Martin reveals the Valkyries' team identity
While speaking to ESPN during training camp, Martin said the team is made up of "killers." She added, "We want to be gritty, we want to be relentless. We want to be the ones diving on the floor for loose balls. We went to be the ones getting stops, we want to be playing together and work our tails off."
This squares with what Coach Nakase has been saying all preseason. In mid-April she told Her Playbook that her journey with the Valkyries has been a "roller coaster ride" since she was hired ahead of the Expansion Draft in December, but that she believes the team has an "advantage" heading into this year's season.
That's partly because for Nakase, being able to build a team from scratch has an appeal. "You actually get to hand pick players that are going to fit your culture," Nakase said. "Players are the culture... I've gotten to hand pick high-character players that work hard, players who love to play with a chip on their shoulder."
Kate Martin brings a lot to the Valkyries
When the Golden State Valkyries selected Kate Martin in December's Expansion Draft, they added a player who brings versatility in scoring, a strong understanding of the game, and defensive skills that will serve the team well. Her defense in particular is a great asset to the Valkyries, especially her ability to defend from multiple positions on the court, and her relentless competitive edge.