Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski might be injured, but he's been making the most of his time by showing up at several home games to support the Golden State Valkyries. Podziemski has been a near-constant presence at the Chase Center as he cheers on the Valkyries (arm in a sling and all), and in a lot of ways he's proven that choosing San Francisco as host of an expansion city was the right decision.
When it comes to expansion teams in the league, there's a lot of debate about whether or not WNBA teams should always be established in cities that already have NBA teams. And while there are examples of teams thriving on their own, there is something special about seeing members of each team supporting one another at major events — or, in Podziemski's case, coming out to every game that he can.
Establishing a WNBA team in a city that already has an NBA team automatically gives the women who play for that team a leg up. The Valkyries might be brand new this season, but the team's owner Joe Lacob has gone all in and made sure they have the best of the best, from practice facilities to locker rooms to the chevron-bedecked court the team plays on at home. That kind of investment is possible because Lacob already has a winning infrastructure in place, has the funding needed to carry the team as they work toward their first championship, and has a team of people who can assist Coach Nakase in every way possible.
Podziemski isn't the only member of the Warriors who has expressed support for Golden State. Coach Steven Kerr showed up at the team's home opener alongside Kevon Looney, Buddy Hield, and Jonathan Kuminga, and in a mid-May exit interview with the Warriors, Steph Curry said he hopes to attend as many games as he can.
The Valkyries are the sixth WNBA team to be tied to an NBA team (both the Toronto and Portland teams will join this last as numbers seven and eight once they are off the ground), something that has clearly benefited the team so far. But not everyone believes teams need to be so closely linked — in an interview with Front Office Sports, Atlanta Dream managing partner Larry Gottesdiener admitted he believes the healthiest thing the league could do is to support "more independent, dedicated ownership."
Gottesdiener's point is worth considering. He is not a member of the group that owns the Atlanta Hawks, and it appears he's perfectly fine with that, especially because, as he put it, he can completely focus on only his team without having to worry about another one.
The Valkyries are a case study for the WNBA in a lot of ways, and it's likely NBA affiliation is just another factor on that list. How the NBA supports the WNBA and vice-versa will continue to be watched, and we will all keep learning from it.