The Golden State Valkyries are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco, California, United States. The team is scheduled to begin play in 2025 as a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team would play its home games at the Chase Center in San Francisco, while being headquartered in Oakland.[1]
Golden State Valkyries | |
---|---|
League | WNBA |
Gegründet | 2025 |
History | Golden State Valkyries 2025–future |
Arena | Chase Center |
Standort | San Francisco, California |
Team colors | Violet, Black |
President | Jess Smith |
General manager | Ohemaa Nyanin |
Ownership | Joe Lacob, Peter Guber |
History
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which started in 1997, previously had a team in northern California in the Sacramento Monarchs, which played from 1997 until folding in 2009 and won a league championship.[2] After the Monarchs ended, the WNBA remained steady with 12 teams, although there was often talk of expanding the league.[2]
On September 26, 2023, it was reported by The Athletic that the owners of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, were finalizing an agreement to start a WNBA expansion team in San Francisco.[3] Lacob had previously helped found the American Basketball League (ABL), which played before the WNBA, and owned one of their teams, the San Jose Lasers.[3] The ABL folded in 1998 and the Lasers were the last San Francisco Bay Area women's basketball team.[3]
On October 5, 2023, the expansion team was officially announced, with plans to begin play in 2025, being the first expansion team in the WNBA since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.[4][5] The expansion fee for the franchise was reported to be $50 million over 10 years.[6] It was reported that the team name's would include "Golden State", with announcement of the name, logos, and uniforms to come at a later date.[5]
Within the first few hours of being announced, over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed.[5] On January 30, 2024, Jess Smith, an executive with Angel City FC, was hired as the team's president.[7] On April 16, the team surpassed 6,000 season ticket deposits.[8] An expansion draft is scheduled to be held in December 2024, and Golden State will participate in its first WNBA draft in 2025.[9][10]
Ohemaa Nyanin was named the first General Manager for the Golden State WNBA team on May 7, 2024.[11]
The team name and logos were revealed on May 14, 2024.[12]
References
- ^ "WNBA expansion team awarded to Bay Area, will begin play in 2025". National Basketball Association. October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "What to know about the Warriors' WNBA expansion franchise". ESPN. October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Thompson II, Marcus (September 26, 2023). "Warriors finalizing agreement to bring WNBA team to Bay Area: Sources". The Athletic.
- ^ McCauley, Janie (October 5, 2023). "Golden State Warriors granted WNBA expansion franchise to begin play in 2025". Associated Press.
- ^ a b c Shelburne, Ramona (October 5, 2023). "WNBA announces Bay Area expansion team to begin play in 2025". ESPN.
- ^ Novy-Williams, Eben; Soshnick, Scott (October 5, 2023). "Warriors to Pay Record $50M to Secure WNBA Expansion Team". Yahoo.com.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Philippou, Alexa (January 30, 2024). "Angel City FC exec Jess Smith to head Warriors' WNBA team". ESPN.
- ^ Mastrodonato, Jason (April 16, 2024). "2025 WNBA Draft: Five prospects to watch for Golden State's expansion team". The Mercury News.
- ^ "Golden State FAQ". Women's National Basketball Association.
- ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 1, 2024). "What's next for Golden State WNBA team? Timeline for name, GM, coach, roster". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa. "WNBA expansion franchise Golden State hires Ohemaa Nyanin as GM". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Golden State's WNBA team to be called Valkyries". ESPN.com. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-14.