Last week, the Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream to become the 2026 WNBA Champions in just their second season as a franchise in the league.
This isn’t their first historic accomplishment, however. Over the past two years, the Valkyries have broken countless records and have established themselves as a prominent and dominating force in the league on their journey to claiming their first championship title.
THE BEGINNING
In 2023, it was announced that the Bay Area would be getting the next expansion team in the WNBA. Joe Lacob, owner of the Valkyries, set a goal for the franchise to win a championship in five years. By 2025, their inaugural season, they managed to sell out every single home game of the season; averaging over 18,000 fans in attendance at each game. They are the first franchise in WNBA history to achieve this. Now, as of last week, they have successfully fast-tracked their goal by winning a championship in just two years of the team’s existence.
The rapid progression of this team is nothing short of impressive, and while the players and coaching staff are largely responsible for this, the Valkyries have their loyal fans to thank as well. Ballhalla, the nickname for the Valkyries fanbase and home arena at Chase Center, has become notorious for its loud, powerful, and energetic atmosphere. Given that every home game is a sellout, this comes as no surprise. This makes for an electric environment of support for the Valkyries, and a tough battlefield for opposing teams to play against.
ROAD TO THE WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP
This year’s WNBA Finals were a hard-fought battle right until the end. Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream forced the first game 7 in WNBA Finals history by tying the series 3-3 after game 6.
Much of the credit for Golden State’s historic win can be attributed to Forward Gabby Williams, who finished her very first season with the Valkyries by leading them to victory. Williams scored a total of 30 points in game 7, including a run of three back-to-back three-pointers in the third quarter, which helped bring the team back up from being down 6 points at the half. Despite only scoring once in the first half, Williams’ resilience and leadership in the second half not only won Golden State their first championship but made her this year’s WNBA Finals MVP.
HISTORY MADE
In addition to becoming first-time champions, this win also established head coach Natalie Nasake as the first Asian-American coach to win a WNBA championship, not to mention doing so in only two years.
Additionally, Game 7 of the Finals became the most-watched WNBA playoff game in history, with nearly 3.3 million viewers tuning in.
WATCH WOMEN’S SPORTS.
In their first two seasons, the Golden State Valkyries have displayed everything that women’s sports are: thrilling, competitive, resilient, and most importantly, worth watching.
I think it’s safe to say that they are just getting started, as I have no doubt they’ll continue to raise the bar for success and keep making history. If you’re not watching already, you’re really missing out.