The Golden State Valkyries have carried out way over be a part of the WNBA; they’ve basically modified the dialog about what an growth franchise might be. Of their inaugural 2025 season, they’ve achieved a record-breaking $500 million valuation, surpassed each early-season prediction, and created one of many loudest home-court atmospheres within the league.
Bought for a $50 million growth payment in 2023, the San Francisco-based group now holds the very best valuation for any girls’s sports activities franchise worldwide. The determine dwarfs the WNBA’s 2025 common of $269 million and surpasses the New York Liberty’s earlier league-leading $420 million.
Golden State’s blueprint has mixed aggressive market engagement, good roster building, and an emphasis on making a fan expertise that matches NBA requirements. The end result: a season that’s rewriting the enterprise and aggressive information for WNBA growth franchises.
Enterprise Data Earlier than Tip-Off
The Valkyries grew to become the primary WNBA growth group to promote greater than 10,000 season tickets of their debut 12 months, undertaking the feat months earlier than the season tipped off. Each dwelling sport on the 18,000-seat Chase Middle has bought out, with common courtside pricing and resale demand rivaling some NBA groups.
Projected 2025 revenues exceed $70 million—greater than double the WNBA’s highest single-team complete in 2024. Sponsorship earnings is predicted to surpass $20 million, with ticket-related income topping $35 million, each new league information. Their dwelling opener generated $3 million, setting a WNBA single-game income report.
These monetary benchmarks are reshaping expectations for what’s potential in girls’s skilled sports activities, influencing how the league and future growth groups method pricing, sponsorships, and game-day manufacturing.
NEW @WNBA Group Valuations: The Golden State @valkyries are the primary $500 million girls’s group in professional sports activities, and each WNBA group worth is up greater than 100% over the previous 12 months. The WNBA groups are collectively value $3.5 billion.
The most recent from @kbadenhausen ⤵️ https://t.co/XXLftYmfpQ pic.twitter.com/W2kFBGk4xG
— Sportico (@Sportico) June 24, 2025
Defying Each Preseason Projection
Getting into the season, sportsbooks gave Golden State the bottom playoff odds within the WNBA (+1600) and projected fewer than 10 wins. By midyear, they’d reached double-digit victories with 25 video games nonetheless to play. As of August 13, they’re 17-15, tying the 2008 Detroit Shock for essentially the most wins by a WNBA growth group in its inaugural marketing campaign, and are holding the seventh seed within the playoff race.
They’ve achieved it with assertion wins, together with an 87-63 rout of the Connecticut Solar, a key victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, and most not too long ago an 88-83 street overcome the Washington Mystics. Towards Connecticut, Veronica Burton and Cecilia Zandalasini mixed for 50 factors and 12 3-pointers. Burton set a franchise report with 30 factors—changing into the primary Valkyrie to succeed in that mark—on 10-for-13 taking pictures, whereas Zandalasini tied her profession excessive with 20 factors.
The duo powered an 18-0 first-half run that gave Golden State a commanding 36-12 lead. Burton’s 11-point third quarter helped climate a Mystics rally, and her 9 factors within the closing body sealed the group’s third straight win. Burton additionally grabbed seven rebounds and dished seven assists, whereas Zandalasini added six boards and 4 assists.
VERONICA BURTON TONIGHT 🔥
• 30 POINTS • 7 REBOUNDS • 7 ASSISTS • 6/9 3PM• 10/13 FG• 36 MINUTES PLAYEDpic.twitter.com/162HwilUw4
— Ladies’s Hoops Community (@WomensHoops_USA) August 14, 2025
Valkyries Lean on Depth, Protection, and Resilience
Golden State’s success begins on the defensive finish. They’ve posted a 99.8 defensive ranking this season, rating fourth within the WNBA and simply 0.2 behind the third-ranked Atlanta Dream. Their dominance on the glass is mirrored in a league-leading 51.6% rebounding proportion.
Head coach Natalie Nakase’s by-committee method has produced balanced manufacturing. Veteran guard Tiffany Hayes has offered scoring and management, whereas Veronica Burton has emerged as a gradual playmaker at 5.0 assists per sport. Temi Fagbenle and Monique Billings have been anchors within the frontcourt, and Kayla Thornton was main the group in each scoring (14.0 PPG) and rebounding (7.0 RPG) earlier than a season-ending knee harm in July.
Offensively, there’s room to develop. Golden State at the moment owns a 100.6 offensive ranking, rating tenth within the league. Including extra dynamic scoring choices in future offseasons might assist them steadiness their elite defensive basis with higher offensive punch. Nonetheless, the tradition they’ve constructed—outlined by resilience, defensive grit, and depth—has given them a sensible path to changing into the primary WNBA growth group to succeed in the playoffs in its debut season.
