The Golden State Valkyries are an undeniable force in the Women’s National Basketball Association. Only in their second season, they have made it to the WNBA finals, a record in itself. The team’s trajectory has been a constant rocket upwards since its inception only two years ago, with a number of factors contributing to its explosion. 

The way a WNBA expansion team gets a roster is a bit complicated. Existing teams protect up to five players while new franchises select from the unprotected player pool over two rounds in a snake format, subject to a strict limit of losing no more than two players total per existing team. A snake format means the team picking first in the first round will pick last in the second round. The team that picked last in the first round will get the first pick in Round 2 to help balance the selection process when expansion teams are building inaugural rosters. Essentially, the expansion franchises choose from among players that the existing teams did not protect. 

However, the Valkyries have racked up records and firsts. They are the first women’s team to generate $100 million in one year. They earned the most wins by an expansion team, are the first expansion team to reach the postseason in its first year and first to reach the finals within its first two seasons, and they are the only team to sell out every single regular-season home game in its first two seasons (that’s 18,000 fans per game, every game). It is safe to say the expansion of Golden State’s team can be called a success. 

San Diego harbors a healthy community of Valkyries fans (it is, after all, the Golden State Valkyries). Many of them can be found at One of Us, San Diego’s first women’s sports bar. Located in North Park, Valks fans from around the county have been showing up to One of Us to watch Golden State’s games throughout the playoffs. 

“For the first game on Saturday, we had a line wrapped from the bar all the way to the back, all the way down past the tables and people were still trying to come in,” said Kalani Millsaps, one of the founders of One of Us. “I’m pretty sure we hit maximum capacity… They’re here for the Valkyries, with an occasional Dream fan here and there.”

One of Us has also brought in new fans to the game. Multiple people in the bar for game one of the finals said it was their first time watching a WNBA game ever. 

“I had to be ‘one of us’. That’s what brought me here… it’s such a cultural experience,” a new fan said. 

So how did a team full of ‘leftovers’ wind up being the greatest expansion team we’ve seen to date? 

Chase Center, nicknamed Ballhalla by Valkyries fans, is also home to one of the most recognizable teams in all of sports: the Golden State Warriors. Clad in iconic blue and yellow and led by one of the most recognizable athletes in all of sports: Stephen Curry. However, the Valkyries immediately identified themselves as their own unique brand, not the female version of the Warriors.

According to WNBA news, fashion and business outlet Damecore, only 7% of Valkyries 2025 ticket holders also went to Warriors games. If the Valkyries had marketed themselves to appeal to Warriors fans, they would have left once the novelty of a new team wore away. By marketing to their own new and unique fan base, the team ensured fans would stay.

The story behind the nickname ‘Ballhalla’ is a direct play on the Warriors as well. It takes inspiration from Valhalla, the hall in Norse myth where Valkyries bring warriors. Now, fans refer to Ballhalla not only as a place, but also as a mentality. 

Ballhalla extends beyond San Francisco. It could be argued that any community full of Valkyries fans has the same energy found in Chase Center. Togetherness, tenacity and grit make up their fan base, even here in San Diego. Some fans even flew up to the Bay Area to watch game one in person, bringing the energy back down to San Diego with them. 

“My favorite moment [of the finals so far] is right now,” said a Valkyries fan at One of Us’s game one watch party. “All my friends and family, we get to be here at One of Us, watching them in game two.”

CNBC declared the Valkyries the first women’s sports billion-dollar franchise. Early in the team’s existence, they had well over 20 sponsors and set a single-game revenue record, according to The Gist. The Valks have nine founding partners, notably including JP Morgan Chase, Kaiser Permanente and Olly.

However, the hard hitter was Sephora.

Already in the women’s basketball space as one of Unrivaled’s sponsors, Sephora actually approached the Valkyries first, then partnered with the Warriors, becoming the first Valkyries partner to join the Warrior’s portfolio. 

Valkyries head coach, Natalie Nakase, was previously an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. She won two championships with the team under head coach Becky Hammon. In just her second year as the head coach of Golden State, the Valkyries knocked out her former team in a full sweep in the 2026 semifinals. Mind you, these are the defending champions we’re talking about. Even five-time MVP A’ja Wilson wasn’t a match for the force that is Ballhalla. 

“There’s very few female coaches in sports in general, especially women of color coaches,” said a fan at One of Us. “It’s been great to see Natalie leading her team.”

Then come the actual players themselves. The Valkyries finished with a 32-12 regular season record, second out of the 15 teams in the league. General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin and Nakase built a roster of players with defensive grit who had been overlooked, held a collective chip on their shoulder and had something to prove to the world. They have a deep bench that keeps opponents under constant defensive pressure.

Veronica Burton, drafted 7th overall by the Dallas Wings in 2022 and later waived. She spent a season at the Connecticut Sun before joining the Valkyries in the expansion draft and immediately blossomed into the league’s 2025 Most Improved Player. Kayla Thornton, a 10-year veteran who bounced between teams, was drafted to the Valkyries in the expansion draft and became a first-time WNBA All-Star.

Kaitlyn Chen, a fan favorite, followed her NCAA National Championship run at UConn with being selected 30th overall by Golden State. She actually didn’t go to the draft expecting to get drafted. She went to support her Uconn teammate Paige Bueckers, who went No. 1 to the Dallas Wings, and ended up getting drafted herself. Kate Martin, a member of the Valkyries’ inaugural roster after being drafted unprotected from the Las Vegas Aces, had a similar storyline; Martin went to the draft in support of her Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark, who went No. 1 to the Indiana Fever.

The Valkyries’ current finals team is even stronger than the team’s inaugural roster. The addition of Gabby Williams, a UConn alum with French-American citizenship, had a turbulent start to her professional career due to French National Team commitments. She’s since found her spot on the Valkyries’ roster and is now their leading scorer and arguably the most recognizable player on the team. 

“After the [game one] win, all of Ballhalla chanted Gabby’s name when she was getting interviewed,” said a Valkyries fan at One of Us. “That’s our girl… that felt like a magic moment in Ballhalla.”

Then there’s Janelle Salaün, who’d been looked over by WNBA teams in her first few years of eligibility. Golden State picked her up, and she’s now a foundational starter averaging around 12 points per game. 

“I love watching underdogs,” said another fan. “People who you normally wouldn’t think to give the spotlight to, they make you pay attention to them. I really love that for the Valkyries team.”

One thing is for sure: the upcoming WNBA expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia have big shoes to fill. The teams will be able to see what went right in Golden State, or they can come up with their own formula for success. Only time will tell.