Just over three years ago, on Oct. 5, 2023, the Golden State Valkyries were officially introduced as the WNBA’s first expansion team in over a decade. At the introductory press conference, more than a year before the team even had any players, let alone took the court for the first time, team owner Joe Lacob made a bold proclamation.
«First press conference with the Warriors, I said we will win a championship in the first five years,» Lacob said. «I’m telling you right now, we will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise.»
After completing a sweep of the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces on Friday with a thrilling 87-77 overtime victory in Game 3 of the semifinals, the Valkyries have advanced to the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history and are four wins away from making Lacob look like a genius. They’ll face the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals, beginning on Oct. 17.
The Valkyries made history in their inaugural season in 2025 when they set a record for wins by an expansion team (23) and became the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. Despite the initial success, expectations weren’t high entering 2026, especially after a somewhat confusing offseason highlighted by trading their first-round pick (Flau’jae Johnson) for two second-round picks.
But the Valkyries’ strong belief in their internal development proved well-founded, and they were bolstered by the arrival of free-agent signings Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes, who helped make their defense so overwhelming that it made up for their continued issues on the offensive end.
The Valkyries didn’t have a single player average more than 15 points per game, finished seventh in offensive rating (108.2), which was the second-worst mark of any playoff team, and were 13th in true shooting (54%), above only the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun, the two worst teams in the league.
But on the other end, the Valkyries had one of the best defenses in WNBA history. Their 99.1 defensive rating was more than four points per 100 possessions better than any other team, and they finished second in both opponent true shooting (53.5%) and opponent turnover rate (19.2%).
Their defensive-minded approach carried them to a 32-10 record — a nine-win improvement on last season — and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. It almost cost them in the first round, however, when they shot 35.1% in a winner-take-all Game 3 against the Dallas Wings, and had to pull off a stunning 16-point comeback to keep their season alive.
Their offense was a bit better against the Aces, but once again, their defense stepped up to save the day. The Aces were 3-0 against the Valkyries in the regular season, in large part because A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young did whatever they wanted in those contests. Those two were held in check in the semis. Wilson had 23 points per game on 41.1% shooting, while Young put up just 14.3 points on 31.6% from the field. As a team, the Aces’ true shooting was 50.8% — nearly 10 percent worse than their 59.3% mark in the regular season.
During the series-clinching victory on Friday, the Valkyries completed an 11-point comeback in the second half in large part because they held the Aces to just two points over the first eight minutes and 25 seconds of the third quarter. Las Vegas went just 2 of 16 from the field in that frame.
Williams, who made her second All-Star appearance this season and finished as the runner-up to Angel Reese for Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 20.3 points to lead the way in the series, while Kayla Thornton put up 14 points and Tiffany Hayes chipped in 11.7. As a team, the Valkyries shot 39.8% from the field, had a true shooting mark of 54% and barely had more assists (41) than turnovers (40). And yet, they’re going to the Finals.
We’ve simply never seen an organization or a team like the Valkyries.
