2025 Golden State Valkyries season
| 2025 Golden State Valkyries season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Natalie Nakase |
| Arena | Chase Center |
| Attendance | 18,064 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 23–21 (.523) |
| Place | 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | 8th seed Lost in First Round 0–2 to Minnesota Lynx |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Kayla Thornton – 14.0 ppg |
| Rebounds | Kayla Thornton – 7.0 rpg |
| Assists | Veronica Burton – 6.0 apg |
|
2026 season → | |
The 2025 Golden State Valkyries season was the franchise's 1st season in the Women's National Basketball Association and under head coach, Natalie Nakase.
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Club | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Justė Jocytė | G/F | Lithuania | ASVEL Féminin | Rights retained | |
| 2 | 17 | Shyanne Sellers | G | United States | Maryland | Signed rookie contract on April 22 Waived on May 3 |
[1][2] |
| 3 | 30 | Kaitlyn Chen | United States / Taiwan |
UConn | Signed rookie contract on April 22 Waived on May 14 |
[3] |
Transactions
Front office and coaching
| Date | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| October 10, 2024 | Hired Natalie Nakase as head coach | [4] |
| February 10, 2025 | Hired Lorena Torres Ronda as director of performance | [5] |
| March 27, 2025 | Hired Kasib Powell, Sugar Rodgers, and Landon Tatum as assistant coaches | [6] |
| Hired Sidney Parsons as director of player development | ||
| Hired Sidney Dobner as head video coordinator/coach development | ||
| Hired Daisy Feder as assistant video coordinator | ||
| April 25, 2025 | Hired Joscelyn Bourne as head of physical therapy | [7] |
| Hired Katelin Knox as head athletic trainer | ||
| Hired Allison DeKuiper as assistant athletic trainer and performance coordinator | ||
| Hired Papis Sambe as performance coach | ||
| September 15, 2025 | Vanja Černivec, Vice President of Basketball Operations, left Valkyries organization | [8] |
Expansion draft
On December 6, 2024, an expansion draft took place to help fill the roster for Golden State for the 2025 WNBA season.[9]
| Player | Former Team | Contract Status (at time of draft) |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iliana Rupert | Atlanta Dream | Suspended – contract expired | [10] |
| María Conde | Chicago Sky | Suspended – contract expired | |
| Veronica Burton | Connecticut Sun | Free agent – reserved | |
| Carla Leite | Dallas Wings | Unsigned 2024 draft pick (No. 9) | |
| Temi Fágbénlé | Indiana Fever | Free agent – restricted | |
| Kate Martin | Las Vegas Aces | Under contract for 2025 season | |
| Stephanie Talbot | Los Angeles Sparks | Under contract for 2025 season | |
| Cecilia Zandalasini | Minnesota Lynx | Free agent – reserved | |
| Kayla Thornton | New York Liberty | Under contract for 2025 season | |
| Monique Billings | Phoenix Mercury | Free agent – unrestricted | |
| No selection | Seattle Storm | — | |
| Julie Vanloo | Washington Mystics | Free agent – reserved |
Free agency
Re-signed / extensions
| Player | Date | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temi Fágbénlé | June 25 | Set as active | [11] |
| Janelle Salaün | June 30 | [12] | |
| Cecilia Zandalasini | |||
| Iliana Rupert | July 16 | [13] |
Additions
| Player | Date | Notes | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monique Billings | February 3 | One-year deal | N/A – expansion draft pick | [14] |
| Veronica Burton | Training camp contract | [15] | ||
| Julie Vanloo | [16] | |||
| Chloe Bibby | February 5 | Spar Girona | [17] | |
| Janelle Salaün | Famila Schio | [18] | ||
| Kyara Linskens | Belgium | [19] | ||
| Elissa Cunane | February 6 | Training camp contract | BK Žabiny Brno | [20] |
| Tiffany Hayes | One-year deal | Las Vegas Aces | [21] | |
| Laeticia Amihere | Awarded off waivers | Atlanta Dream | [22] | |
| June 8 | Rest of season contract | Free agent | [23] | |
| Carla Leite | February 21 | Rookie contract (2024 draft pick – No. 9) |
N/A – expansion draft pick | [24] |
| Cecilia Zandalasini | March 7 | One-year deal | [25][26] | |
| Temi Fágbénlé | April 1 | [25][27] | ||
| Mamignan Touré | April 21 | Training camp contract | Spar Girona | [28] |
| Kaitlyn Chen | April 22 | Rookie contract (2025 draft pick – No. 30) |
UConn Huskies | |
| Shyanne Sellers | Rookie contract (2025 draft pick – No. 17) |
Maryland Terrapins | ||
| Aerial Powers | June 10 | Rest of season contract | Atlanta Dream | [29] |
| Chloe Bibby | June 15 | Free agent | [30] | |
| Kaitlyn Chen | ||||
| Bree Hall | June 18 | [31] | ||
| August 27 | 7-day hardship contract | [32] | ||
| Kaila Charles | August 1 | [33] | ||
| August 8 | [34] | |||
| August 15 | [35] | |||
| Elizabeth Kitley | September 3 | [36] |
Subtractions / unsigned
| Player | Date | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| María Conde | December 6 | Suspended – contract expired | N/A – retained rights | |
| Iliana Rupert | ||||
| Justė Jocytė | April 14 | Unsigned draft pick (2025 draft pick – No. 5) |
||
| Shyanne Sellers | May 3 | Waived | Atlanta Dream | [1][2] |
| Laeticia Amihere | May 14 | — | [3] | |
| Kaitlyn Chen | — | |||
| Elissa Cunane | — | |||
| Mamignan Touré | Connecticut Sun | |||
| Chloe Bibby | — | |||
| June 30 | Indiana Fever | [37] | ||
| Kyara Linskens | June 8 | — | [38] | |
| Cecilia Zandalasini | Suspended contract – temporary | N/A – retained rights | [39] | |
| Julie Vanloo | June 10 | [40] | ||
| June 30 | Waived | Los Angeles Sparks | [41] | |
| Janelle Salaün | June 11 | Suspended contract – temporary | N/A – retained rights | [42] |
| Temi Fágbénlé | June 15 | [43] | ||
| Aerial Powers | June 25 | Waived | Indiana Fever | [11] |
| Bree Hall | June 30 | — | [37] | |
| September 1 | Indiana Fever | [44] | ||
| Stephanie Talbot | July 13 | New York Liberty | [45] | |
| Elizabeth Kitley | September 9 | — | [46] |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WNBA roster page | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
Schedule
Preseason
| 2025 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 1–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 1–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 1–0)
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| 2025 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2025 game log Total: 23–21 (Home: 14–8; Road: 9–13) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2)
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June
: 7–4 (Home: 6–2; Road: 1–2)
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July
: 4–6 (Home: 1–1; Road: 3–5)
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August
: 8–5 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–2)
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September
: 2–3 (Home: 2–1; Road: 0–2)
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| 2025 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
- Games highlighted in ██ represent Commissioner's Cup games.
Playoffs
| 2025 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First round vs. Minnesota Lynx Lost Series 0–2
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | yx – Minnesota Lynx | 34 | 10 | .773 | – | 20–4 | 20–2 | 14–8 | 5–1 |
| 2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 30 | 14 | .682 | 4 | 16–8 | 17–5 | 13–9 | 2–4 |
| 3 | x – Atlanta Dream | 30 | 14 | .682 | 4 | 15–6 | 16–6 | 14–8 | 3–2 |
| 4 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 27 | 17 | .614 | 7 | 13–11 | 15–7 | 12–10 | 4–2 |
| 5 | x – New York Liberty | 27 | 17 | .614 | 7 | 15–5 | 17–5 | 10–12 | 4–1 |
| 6 | cx – Indiana Fever | 24 | 20 | .545 | 10 | 13–8 | 13–9 | 11–11 | 4–1 |
| 7 | x – Seattle Storm | 23 | 21 | .523 | 11 | 12–12 | 10–12 | 13–9 | 4–2 |
| 8 | x – Golden State Valkyries | 23 | 21 | .523 | 11 | 9–15 | 14–8 | 9–13 | 3–3 |
| 9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 21 | 23 | .477 | 13 | 10–14 | 9–13 | 12–10 | 2–4 |
| 10 | e – Washington Mystics | 16 | 28 | .364 | 18 | 8–12 | 10–12 | 6–16 | 2–3 |
| 11 | e – Connecticut Sun | 11 | 33 | .250 | 23 | 7–14 | 7–15 | 4–18 | 1–4 |
| 12 | e – Chicago Sky | 10 | 34 | .227 | 24 | 4–17 | 6–16 | 4–18 | 1–4 |
| 13 | e – Dallas Wings | 10 | 34 | .227 | 24 | 4–20 | 6–16 | 4–18 | 1–5 |
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- c – Commissioner's Cup winners
- y – Regular Season Champion
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Playoffs
| First Round: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-7 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Golden State Valkyries | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Phoenix Mercury | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Phoenix Mercury | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Seattle Storm | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Indiana Fever | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Atlanta Dream | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Indiana Fever | 2 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court-advantage
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veronica Burton | AP Most Improved Player | September 12 | [47] |
| WNBA Most Improved Player | September 15 | [48] | |
| WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | October 8 | [49] | |
| Natalie Nakase | Coach of the Month – June | July 3 | [50] |
| AP Coach of the Year | September 12 | [47] | |
| WNBA Coach of the Year | September 17 | [51] | |
| Janelle Salaün | AP All-Rookie Team | September 12 | [47] |
| WNBA All-Rookie Team | September 29 | [52] | |
| Kayla Thornton | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 17 | [53] |
| WNBA All-Star Reserve | July 7 | [54] |
References
- ^ a b "Golden State Valkyries Waive Shyanne Sellers". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Atlanta Dream PR [@ATLDreamPR] (May 5, 2025). "The Atlanta Dream have acquired Shyanne Sellers off waivers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Golden State Valkyries Announce Final Roster For Inaugural Season". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (October 10, 2024). "Golden State Valkyries hire Las Vegas Aces assistant Natalie Nakase as their first head coach". apnews.com. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Name Lorena Torres Ronda as Director of Performance". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
- ^ "Valkyries Announce Additions to Coaching and Front Office Staff With Six New Hires". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. March 27, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Announce Performance Staff Hires". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. April 25, 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ "Portland Fire Announces Vanja Černivec as General Manager". Portland Fire. WNBA. August 25, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
- ^ Henderson, Cydney; Horrow, Ellen J. (December 6, 2024). "WNBA expansion draft live updates: Golden State Valkyries pick their players for 2025". USA Today.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries begin constructing inaugural roster with 11 selections in 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft". nba.com. NBA. December 6, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "Golden State Valkyries Re-Activate Temi Fágbénlé Following Overseas Commitment". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Re-Activate Janelle Salaün and Cecilia Zandalasini Following Overseas Commitments". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 30, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Activate Iliana Rupert Following Overseas Commitments". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Monique Billings". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ^ @WNBAMoves (February 3, 2025). "The Valkyries have signed Veronica Burton to a training camp contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBAMoves (February 3, 2025). "The Valkyries have signed Julie Vanloo to a training camp contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Chloe Bibby". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Sign (sic) Janelle Salaün". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Kyara Linskens". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Elissa Cunane". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year Tiffany Hayes". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Laeticia Amihere". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Laeticia Amihere". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 8, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 21, 2025). "Valkyries pull off surprise signing, get France's Carla Leite inked to play point guard". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Ingemi, Marisa (January 15, 2025). "Valkyries extend qualifying contract offers to four players". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ Ingemi, Marisa (March 7, 2025). "Valkyries sign guard Cecilia Zandalasini, among WNBA's most accurate 3-point shooters". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ^ Ingemi, Marisa (April 2, 2025). "Valkyries sign veteran center Temi Fagbenle, expansion pick with playoff experience". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Guard Migna Touré". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Guard Aerial Powers". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Forward Chloe Bibby and Guard Kaitlyn Chen". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 15, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Guard Bree Hall". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 18, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (August 27, 2025). "Welcome back to BreeHalla 🫶 The Golden State Valkyries have signed free agent guard @breezyhalll to a seven-day roster hardship contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Sign Free Agent Kaila Charles To Hardship Contract". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. August 1, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (August 8, 2025). "Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have signed Kaila Charles to a second seven-day roster hardship contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (August 15, 2025). "Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have signed @__KC5 to a third seven-day roster hardship contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (September 3, 2025). "Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have signed center Elizabeth Kitley to a seven-day hardship contract" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Golden State Valkyries Waive Forward Chloe Bibby and Guard Bree Hall". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 30, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Waive Kyara Linskens". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 8, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (June 8, 2025). "Cecilia Zandalasini will temporarily step away from the Golden State Valkyries..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries' Julie Vanloo to Compete in FIBA EuroBasket 2025". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Waive Guard Julie Vanloo". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 30, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ Canilao, Nathan (June 11, 2025). "Rookie Janelle Salaün temporarily departs from Valkyries to compete in EuroBasket". East Bay Times. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Canilao, Nathan (June 15, 2025). "Valkyries bring back Chen and Bibby as Fágbénlé heads to EuroBasket". East Bay Times. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (September 1, 2025). "Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have waived guard Bree Hall and activated forward Monique Billings from injury" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Golden State Valkyries Waive Forward Stephanie Talbot". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
- ^ Golden State Valkyries [@valkyries] (September 9, 2025). "Roster Update" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Feinberg, Doug (September 12, 2025). "A'ja Wilson's incredible season earns her a second straight AP Player of the Year award". Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ Andrews, Kendra (September 15, 2025). "Valkyries' Veronica Burton wins WNBA's Most Improved award". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ^ Andres, Patrick (October 8, 2025). "Napheesa Collier, A'ja Wilson Headline WNBA All-Defensive Teams". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "Natalie Nakase Named WNBA Coach of the Month for June". valkyries.wnba.com. WNBA. July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ^ McCauley, Jamie (September 17, 2025). "Golden State Valkyries' Natalie Nakase named WNBA Coach of the Year after reaching playoffs". Associated Press. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ^ Partee, Criss (September 29, 2025). "WNBA 2025 All-Rookie team headlined by Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, Mystics rookie". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "Kayla Thornton Named Western Conference Player of The Week". Golden State Valkyries. WNBA. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (July 6, 2025). "WNBA All-Star Game: Kayla Thornton, Gabby Williams, Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron among reserves". Associated Press. Retrieved July 6, 2025.