The Golden State Valkyries front office was joined by several Bay Area celebrities and legends at the Dec. 6 Expansion Draft. Those on hand to introduce the team's roster included rapper E-40, former Warriors player-turned-TNT analyst Davis, and professional golfer Michelle Wie West.
While speaking to a crowd at the Valkyries Chalk Talk this month, the team's GM Ohemaa Nyanin said that "to hear these Bay Area legends say the names of these inaugural athletes... elation was the word." A video of Nyanin's commentary was posted on a Valkyries subreddit.
Nyanin also praised the team's owner, Joe Lacob — or "Mr. Joe," as she called him. "I hope everybody is just as proud ... as we are," she said. Lacob, the Valkyries' Vice President Vanja Černivec and Head Coach Natalie Nakase "really came together to really talk through all the different iterations of what our team could be and what it looks like now and what it could be on May 16," Nyanin explained.
There's a lot to learn about the Bay Area legends who were on-hand Dec. 6 — and who might even pop up at a game or two next season.
Baron Davis
Davis took the stage to announce the third and final stage of new Valkyries players during the Expansion Draft. The former NBA star was born in Los Angeles and played for UCLA before he was drafted as the third overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1999. He and the team were moved to New Orleans in 2002, where Davis stayed until he was traded to the Warriors ahead of the 2005 season. Davis also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, and the Delaware 76ers.
E-40
Earl Tywone Stevens Sr., who is better known by his stage name E-40, was born in Vallejo, California. He began rapping in 1986 with his sister, brother, and cousin. His most recent releases have been part of his Definitions album trilogy: The Gift of Gab was released in 2018, Practice Makes Perfect in 2019, and Rule of Thumb came out in 2023.
Michelle Wie West
Wie West is a retired professional golfer who was born in Hawai'i and who is married to Golden State Warriors Director of Basketball Operations Jonnie West — also the son of NBA great Jerry West. She was the youngest person to qualify for the USGA amateur championship and the youngest to qualify for an LPGA tour event.