The Golden State Valkyries pulled off an 82-73 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at the Crypto.com Arena Friday night — an effort that was aided in large part by the work of two dynamic French players, Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün.
Leite contributed 19 points, two rebounds, and three assists for the Valkyries last night, a feat supported by Salaün's 18 points and eight rebounds. With their performance against the Sparks, who the Valkyries simply outplayed and outpaced, both Leite and Salaün demonstrated their ability to work well together and flashed the league a warning sign: these two are a dynamic duo in the making.
Golden State isn't the first team Leite and Salaün have played on together. They're both members of the French national team (and both have decided to forgo the EuroBasket tournament this June to stay in the US and play for the Valkyries) and have already nurtured a relationship with a strong foundation rooted in skill and trust. Salaün has helped Leite adjust to life in the US (and has been on hand to help translate pre- and postgame questions from reporters as needed).
Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün led the Valkyries to their first winning streak
In some ways, expansion teams have a formidable uphill battle: on top of playing elite basketball against the best women's hoopers in the world, they're also tasked with building a team culture and identity from the ground up, something that isn't necessarily easy to do. It takes a lot of trust to establish that kind of camaraderie from the beginning, and this is especially true for the Valkyries, since a sizeable portion of the team's roster has spent their careers in Europe.
Leite and Salaün are making it clear that they're capable of translating their own relationship to the court, something that is already helping propel the Valkyries to wins — and even the team's first winning streak, as they entered Friday's game after having beaten the Mystics 76-74.
With their first back-to-back wins, the Valkyries have put the rest of the WNBA on notice and made it clear that underestimating the team is a mistake. As Sparks Coach Lynne Roberts told reporters following the game, the team is tough — and they're working together. "They were more connected. They played harder. They played with more intensity," Roberts said.
It's good the duo are already working well together now, because the team's next challenge is mighty: the Valkyries will face defending champions the New York Liberty on Tuesday, May 27, at Barclays Center.