When the Golden State Valkyries open WNBA play on Friday night, the initial goal is simply to be competitive.
The expansion Valkyries begin pursuit of that mission when they face the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco.
Golden State can use one hand to count the victories by the WNBA’s last expansion team. The Atlanta Dream went 4-30 in their first season back in 2008.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase is aware of that fact and welcomes the challenge of putting together a squad for the long haul.
“I’m not afraid of it,” Nakase told reporters. “I actually embrace the hard work. I embrace the building of a new culture, a new franchise, a new community.”
The Golden State roster features shooting guard Tiffany Hayes and point guard Julie Vanloo.
Hayes, 35, enters her 13th WNBA season after winning the league’s Sixth Player of the Year award last season while averaging 9.5 points and 2.1 assists for the Las Vegas Aces. Nakase was an assistant coach for the Aces.
“I know the biggest thing for me, for this team, is that I can get past almost anybody in this league,” Hayes said. “So that’s kind of like my role, I have to be a playmaker.”
Vanloo, 32, is a two-time Olympian for Belgium. She played overseas before averaging 7.4 points and 4.3 assists for the Washington Mystics last season.
The Sparks have a revamped roster after struggling through a franchise-worst 8-32 season in 2024.
Los Angeles made an offseason deal to land guard Kelsey Plum — a three-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion — from the Aces. Plum averaged more than 17 points per game each of the past three seasons, but the 30-year-old guard doesn’t want to talk about stats.
“My focus is trying to affect winning,” Plum told reporters. “There’s a lot of people that can have empty statistics. But I’m really focused on how I can help this team win. I understand where we were last year and my goal is to significantly change that. I think the individual numbers will come.”
Plum’s former Las Vegas teammate, forward Dearica Hamby, is the Sparks’ top returning player. She led the squad in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (9.2 rpg) and steals (1.7 spg) last season.
Los Angeles also eagerly awaits the return of forward Cameron Brink, who tore the ACL in her left knee last June. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 draft averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in 15 games before being injured.
“The Sparks are doing a really good job of just supporting me fully through this process,” Brink said.
–Field Level Media
