As part of the start of the 2024 WNBA season, the presentation of the thirteenth team that will join the league by 2025 took place. The Golden State Valkyries will be the San Francisco team that will arrive to continue the project of league expansion.
The name comes from Norse mythology and refers to a "host of female warriors who are fearless and unbreakable, flying through the air and sea alike," according to a statement from the team. "This brand is Golden State's modern interpretation of the Valkyries: strong, bold and fierce."
Likewise, important information was presented about this franchise that will begin working to be part of the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries will begin competition in the 2025 WNBA season as the thirteenth active team in the league and the first expansion franchise since 2008. The organization will host home games at San Francisco's Chase Center and practice in Oakland at the former practice facility of the Golden State Warriors, the Valkyries' NBA affiliate.
Regarding the team's logo, it was mentioned that "The organization's logo represents the Bay Bridge, a call to the roots of the team that crosses the bay, and is shaped like a V, which means "the unity of a group of "Valkyries in flight and standing for victory," according to the statement. The bridge tower in the logo functions as a sword and the bridge cables as wings, both features associated with the Valkyries. The five triangles created by the cables on each side of the tower represent five players facing each other on a basketball court, while the 13 lines that emerge from the top of the tower allude to the arrival of Golden State as the thirteenth team in the WNBA.
The work of president Jess Smith and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin will begin to be in planning the team for next season, likewise, it is still unknown if the bay team will obtain the #1 pick in the 2025 draft or if it will be drawn with the rest of the teams. The last time a team joined the WNBA was in 2008 when the Atlanta Dream joined the league, however that year the team did not obtain the #1 pick and was left with the #4 pick. The WNBA must announce in the near future the operation of the draft for 2025 where the first selection is expected to be between Juju Watkins of USC or Paige Bueckers of UConn.
Another franchise in the league?
On the other hand, regarding the league's plans, rumors began about the arrival of a fourteenth team in 2026 and that this new franchise would be in Toronto. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, there has been no official vote to approve the expansion but that talks between members of the NBA and WNBA are ongoing with the interested group led by Larry Tanenbaum of Kilmer Sports Inc., owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. of the NHL.
Canada has proven ready to welcome the WNBA—last week, a crowd of 16,655 filled Edmonton's Rogers Place for a preseason game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm—making Toronto a serious contender to join the league.
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