SAN FRANCISCO – On its face, Sunday evening’s game at the Chase Center looked quite a bit like the Valkyries’ exhilarating home opener a year ago. Violet shirts draped over seats to be filled by a sellout crowd, fans sporting team logos milling on the concourse, long lines at the merchandise store and a buzz of anticipation.
But beyond the visual similarities, beyond the deafening, joyful noise (point guard Veronica Burton got a 20-second standing ovation when she went to midcourt to greet the crowd before the game), beyond the full embrace of the Bay Area market – a lot has actually changed for this Golden State franchise.
And it’s not just the purple jerseys.
Starting with expectations. The first expansion team in league history to make the playoffs on their inaugural season, the floor for a successful season has been set. A season-opening win in Seattle set a tone, and Sunday’s impressive 95-79 victory over a Phoenix team that demolished defending champion Las Vegas the day before by 33 points.
Down 20-17 at the end of the first quarter, as Golden State scrapped back from an early nine-point deficit, the Valkryies exploded in the second quarter, outscoring the Mercury 31-11 to take a 48-31 halftime lead. Phoenix whittled an 18-point lead down to three points before the Valkryies closed them out down the stretch with a 29-17 advantage in the fourth quarter.
After going 0-4 against WNBA runner-up Phoenix last season, the game was a demonstration of Golden State’s versatility and depth and a warning shot that in this way too, things will be different.
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“From year one to year two, we’ve tweaked things,” Nakase said. “But there is a lot of carryover too. They know the times when we need to punch and the times when we need to attack a mismatch. They know when we need to push it or settle it down. It all just comes from having another year together.”
Nakase joked that she is sleeping better than she did in season one, knowing that this team is coming together.
“And I need my sleep,” she said.
The roster. Nine of 14 players on the opening day on the Valkryies roster were on this team a year ago, an intentional commitment to continuity to the Valkyries culture and identity considering how much change could have come as a result of near league-wide free-agency. And the roster should be a more stable place this season, without an international tournament pulling some of the top players away in midseason.
“We set the culture last year, the foundation of what it means to be a Valkyrie. So I think whoever steps into the locker room, they need to buy into that, and we welcome that,” Burton said. “Each new player brings something different and there’s versatility among us. Playing to each other’s strengths and knowing what each person brings will be big for us this year.”
The CBA. The Valkyries players took the floor a year ago – like every other player in the league, grossly undervalued and under-compensated. But a game-changing and life-changing collective bargaining agreement with the WNBA means seven-figure contracts, and the players walk back on to the floor on a new level.
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Gabby Williams, the Valkryies biggest free-agent signing of the offseason, will make more than $3.7 million over the next three years. Burton will make more than $2.9 million over the same span.
“It was a long time coming,” said forward Kayla Thornton, who will make $750,000 this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. “For a second I didn’t know if we were going to start (the season on time). But our union and the league staff did a great job coming together and negotiating something fantastic for our figure and for future generations. And it’s a blessing to be a part of it.”
The valuation. Days after Sportico valued this second-year franchise at $750 million – the most valuable franchise in the history of women’s team sports, CNBC upped the ante with a $1 billion valuation estimate for the team that Joe Lacob bought in October 2023 for $50 million.
“It took me a few days to process,” said team president Jess Smith. “First, it has nothing to do with us. In many ways, there have been decades of work done in women’s sports that allowed us to get here. Second, this is about more than me or us. It’s about the fans and the community and the ownership – every piece of investment that came through here in every way, shape and form.
“It’s a big moment. But it’s not about being first. It’s about being one of many. We know it means alot, but it signals something bigger.”
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History. This is the WNBA’s 30th season, a substantial milestone for a league that has hit a financial and competitive stride.
Nakase called out women’s basketball legend Ann Meyers Drysdale, who was in the building Sunday as part of the Mercury’s broadcast team. Meyers Drysdale was the Mercury’s general manager when she signed Nakase to a training camp contract with the Mercury after Nakase graduated from UCLA.
“It’s an honor,” Nakase said. “It’s really just about being super grateful and acknowledging everyone that’s come before me. Ann Meyers is here with us, a legend, a Hall of Famer and the reason I got into the W. She gave me a chance to try out for Phoenix a long, long time ago and if it wasn’t for her, I would never have understood the impact and the power of women’s sports. I’m just trying to help move the needle.”
I take exception to the “culture” being important with the way they mistreated Kate Martin: using her image to promote both team and ticket sales, plus using her to increase merchandise and jersey sales. Then kicking her to the curb.