How the Valkyries have exceeded all expectations -- even their own

SAN FRANCISCO -- Kayla Thornton grabbed the rebound and sprinted downcourt. The Golden State Valkyries guardant Euro-stepped astir the lone defender betwixt her and the basket, reached the rim and deed a reverse layup.

The assemblage erupted, sensing the second-half comeback against the Chicago Sky was astir complete. Thornton retreated on the sideline, wherever Golden State proprietor Joe Lacob reached retired for a precocious five. She slapped his hand, past stopped and fto retired a roar, sending the fans into an adjacent bigger frenzy.

Such scenes astatine Chase Center person go commonplace for the WNBA's archetypal enlargement franchise successful 17 years. Golden State has sold retired each 11 of its location games this play and leads the WNBA successful attendance.

In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the resting spot for large warriors who died successful battle. In the summer, Chase Center transforms into Ballhalla, the Valkyries' nickname for its location tribunal that regularly draws 18,000 fans.

The vigor has been brewing successful the Bay Area since Golden State was awarded a squad 20 months ago. Valkyries violet could beryllium seen littering the streets of San Francisco a twelvemonth earlier they started playing games, and Golden State became the archetypal squad successful women's sports past to merchantability 15,000 play summons deposits. The metropolis was down them, and midway done their inaugural season, the Valkyries are connected gait to person the highest mean location attendance by immoderate squad successful WNBA history, according to Across the Timeline.

Golden State's accomplishments connected the tribunal person been much of a surprise. When the Valkyries opened campy successful April, the beforehand bureau said occurrence this play would beryllium measured by the players' level of buy-in. But the Valkyries (10-12) are successful the hunt to go the archetypal WNBA enlargement squad to scope the postseason successful its archetypal year. Golden State has 1 of the league's apical 5 defenses, holding opponents to the second-lowest scoring full successful the league.

And though the squad limped into the All-Star break, losing 5 of six games truthful acold successful July, the Valkyries person exceeded astir each of the expectations surrounding their archetypal play -- adjacent the ones they acceptable for themselves.

"I deliberation we person surpassed what we acceptable retired for," Thornton told ESPN. "I thought it was going to instrumentality america a small much clip to get to cognize each other, to get to cognize the strategy ...

"The information that we conscionable spell retired determination and play with joy, we play selfless. It makes the crippled overmuch easier."

NATALIE NAKASE KNEW her players' quality to link with each different would beryllium important connected a caller squad pieced unneurotic from 2 drafts and escaped agency. And arsenic Golden State's manager and beforehand bureau built the roster implicit the past year, they had a peculiar perfect successful mind.

"We needed to prime players with that team-before-self mindset; with that spot connected their shoulder," Nakase told ESPN. "I felt similar due to the fact that they each had that, that would go our standard. It wasn't astir a look oregon an elite player."

The request for connectivity is thing Nakase learned during her clip arsenic an adjunct manager successful the NBA with the Lob City Los Angeles Clippers. That squad featured Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but mislaid successful the archetypal circular of the 2017 NBA playoffs.

"I inactive speech to those guys and they inactive say, 'If we were connected, if we had large chemistry, what if?'" Nakase said. "But we didn't [have it]. ... That's what I learned: You person to beryllium connected. If you're not connected and connected the aforesaid leafage for these games, it's not going to work."

Nakase says the Valkyries don't person a look of the franchise, but each 12 players connected the roster marque up their identity. Golden State halfway Temi Fagbenle said they are a squad made up of sixth women. Thornton, who antecedently played connected the New York Liberty's ace squad with Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart that won the 2024 title, said each subordinate of the Valkyries has been waiting for her accidental to shine.

They don't person a flashy roster afloat of erstwhile lottery picks oregon all-league selections, but their selflessness has led to aboriginal success. The Valkyries person already won much than doubly arsenic galore games arsenic the past enlargement team, the Atlanta Dream, did successful their debut play successful 2008 (four), and much than the Seattle Storm did (six) successful their archetypal play successful 2000.

"We conscionable person a batch of players that were connected antithetic teams, had the success, but hadn't truly been capable to flourish, to truly amusement themselves," Thornton said. "So to beryllium capable to present travel unneurotic and enactment each of america who person been moving hard and waiting for this benignant of moment, putting each of these types of girls together, it makes thing beautiful."

Thornton, successful her 10th season, is simply a premier example, going from a relation subordinate with the Liberty to an All-Star with the Valkyries, the archetypal subordinate since 2006 to beryllium selected an All-Star from an enlargement franchise.

That magnitude of buy-in -- from the players, coaches and beforehand bureau -- was indispensable to beryllium a portion of the Valkyries.

When wide manager Ohemaa Nyanin pitched Golden State to the players and unit she targeted to physique this team, she made it wide they should lone travel to San Francisco if they wanted to beryllium a portion of gathering thing from scratch and could grip the ups and downs that travel with it.

"If we tin make thing together, don't you privation to beryllium a portion of that? You request to beryllium brave successful a full batch of ways to privation to beryllium a portion of thing similar that. There was nary benignant of rose-colored glasses," Nyanin told ESPN. "Oh, and by the way, it's proven to beryllium highly difficult."

But different portion of Nyanin's connection landed good with the players.

"She told us, 'We hand-picked each and each 1 of you to acceptable this up. You would not beryllium present if we didn't deliberation you were up for the jobs,'" 13-year WNBA seasoned Tiffany Hayes said.

As soon arsenic the players arrived astatine camp, Nakase told them that they would beryllium "killers." Their benignant of play would trust heavy connected their defence and the request to marque definite the absorption felt them connected each azygous possession.

"Coach Natalie, erstwhile she needs to get connected us, she gets connected us," Thornton said. "She gives america the astir assurance and that's what I respect astir her. ... She's competitive, she's a dog. That's what we provender disconnected of. Playing for her makes america privation to play the game."

Nakase demands a precocious level of strength for 40 minutes, and during the preseason, Thornton admitted that was a displacement successful mindset for her. Slowly it started to go 2nd nature, and the Valkyries judge it has made them competitory successful astir each crippled they play. Golden State hasn't mislaid a crippled by much than 9 points since June 5.

"When I ticker movie and spot players either diving connected the floor, taking a charge, there's lone a fistful of players that bash that successful the W. And I astir consciousness similar I person each 12 of them," Nakase said. "So with that, it's unteachable. I consciousness similar immoderate clip we bash play, we tin bushed anyone with that benignant of competitory mindset."

AS LACOB SAT connected signifier with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, then-San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Warriors co-executive president Peter Guber successful October 2023 erstwhile Golden State was awarded the franchise, Lacob proclaimed thing Bay Area hoops fans person heard him accidental before: "The extremity is to triumph a title successful 5 years."

That felt similar a comfy timeline to Lacob, but similar a batch of people, his expectations were debased for the inaugural season.

"I thought we were going to beryllium a lottery squad adjacent year," Lacob told ESPN arsenic helium erupted into laughter.

Instead, they are successful the mediate of the playoff race.

Nakase was besides prepared for this to beryllium a twelvemonth spent learning from each other, figuring retired the coachability of her players, arsenic they summation an knowing of what she wants from them. But Golden State is acold past gathering the foundation.

"The mode we gameplan, we tin truly propulsion that envelope," Nakase said. "We said we truly wanted to beryllium the apical squad successful defense. OK, let's support that going, let's instrumentality that to different level. Let's spell present to idiosyncratic defense. Now we tin bash much building, much extremity setting."

And Lacob's five-year extremity continues to beryllium utilized arsenic information to physique upon what they've accomplished truthful far.

"I don't deliberation astir it arsenic overmuch of a timeline arsenic overmuch arsenic our North Star," Nyanin said. "Every time you travel into enactment and you're trying to enactment unneurotic a title product.

"The extremity is simply a championship. OK, great. Now however bash you get there? And precise candidly, you lone get determination if you person large radical unneurotic and everyone has a communal extremity that they each privation to get behind."