At last, the Golden State Valkyries have an inaugural roster.
On Friday, the franchise announced player selections for its upcoming debut season, taking players from 11 of the 12 WNBA previously existing franchises. Their selections are highlighted by former Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin, Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton and New York Liberty forward Kayla Thornton. Seven of Golden State’s 11 selections — the team elected not to select a player from the Seattle Storm — were of players born outside the United States.
“We are excited to have officially started the journey of building the Golden State Valkyries 2025 team,” general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said in a statement. “Our goal was to construct a roster that embodies both versatility and depth, bringing in a strong mix of leadership, defense, and scoring ability. These players were carefully chosen not only for their skills on the court, but also for their ability to fit into the culture we’re working to build here at Golden State.”
The full list of players selected is as follows:
Monique Billings (Phoenix Mercury)
Burton (Connecticut Sun)
Maria Conde (Chicago Sky)
Carla Leite (Dallas Wings)
Martin (Las Vegas Aces)
Stephanie Talbot (Los Angeles Sparks)
Thornton (New York Liberty)
Julie Vanloo (Washington Mystics)
Cecilia Zandalasini (Minnesota Lynx)
The WNBA approved the Bay Area franchise in October 2023, making it the league’s first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008. The Dream was the 14th WNBA franchise at the time, but the contraction of the Houston Comets and Sacramento Monarchs in subsequent years left the league with 12 clubs, a number that has held constant for 15 years.
Leading into their expansion draft, each of the 12 teams submitted a list to the league of up to six players that they were protecting. That list came from every player to whom a team had rights, including each team’s active, suspended, draft list/reserved, core and retired lists, as of the final day of the 2024 regular season. By picking a player, Golden State acquired their contract, or their negotiating rights, as it’s possible that not everyone they selected Friday will appear in the WNBA. They also could have only selected one unrestricted free agent, and they did so by taking Billings from the Mercury. Key to that pick, she is still eligible to be cored.
Coach Natalie Nakase said entering the draft that she had three non-negotiables for Golden State’s first batch of players. She wanted players who are ultra-competitive, are “high-character” and have a never-satisfied mindset. Nakase also said that she wants Golden State to play at a fast pace and shoot a lot of 3s. Their selections appear to reflect that, as the two centers they selected (Rupert and Fagbenle) both are capable rim-runners and Rupert can stretch the floor from the perimeter.
“Competitive,” Nyanin said of what she was looking for in their first roster. “There’s a lot of unknown in building a team in a blank canvas, you just don’t know. And so the competitive spirit that each of these individuals have individually and now hopefully collectively is what we focused on.”
Their inaugural roster features players of various experience levels. Leite will turn 21 in April and was a Dallas Wings first-round pick last season, but has never played in the WNBA. Fagbenle, meanwhile, was drafted in 2016 and at 32 will be the veteran of the group.
No matter a player’s age and experience, Golden State appeared to prioritize players on inexpensive contracts. They are set up to make a splash in free agency, whether that will be this winter or in future offseasons. Teams may begin negotiating with players on Jan. 21, while contracts and offer sheets may be signed beginning on Feb. 1.
“I think we’re ready to talk to any and everybody who wants to have a conversation with us about being a part of this journey,” Nyanin said. “We are just really excited about the opportunity to welcome these free agents and these college athletes as well, and just wanted to give ourselves as much flexibility to be able to go and get athletes in the near future.”
Nyanin described the Valkyries process as “complex” in how they moved through different versions of how a possible team could look, doing so even before protections were submitted. Throughout the process, however, they sought to ensure that Golden State had a balanced roster.
The Valkyries will debut on May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks, playing their home games at the Chase Center in San Francisco, which is also the home arena for the organization’s NBA team, the Warriors.
Nyanin was hired in early May, and by the end of that month, the franchise publicized its name. Nakase was hired as their head coach in mid-October after previously being an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces.
Even before selecting a single player, the franchise already drew record-setting interest from their home market. As of mid-November, the franchise had more than 20,000 season ticket deposits, having been the first women’s sports team in history to surpass the 15,000-season ticket plateau.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Golden State Valkyries, WNBA
2024 The Athletic Media Company
