SAN FRANCISCO — Indiana Fever center Temi Fagbenle will be one of 11 players joining the WNBA’s new Golden State Valkyries.
The Valykryies selected Fagbenle during Friday night’s draft after the Fever chose not to make her one of the team’s six protected players.
Fagbenle played one season with the Fever, averaging 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22 games.
Fagbenle won a WNBA championship during her rookie season with Minnesota.
The Valkyries selected center Iliana Rupert from Atlanta, guards Veronica Burton of Connecticut and Carla Leite of Dallas and forward Maria Conde from Chicago with their initial picks on Friday, the first players for the new Bay Area franchise that’s set to begin play next season.
Golden State rounded out its 11-woman roster with Las Vegas guard Kate Martin; forwards Steph Talbot of Los Angeles, Cecilia Zandalasini of Minnesota, Kayla Thornton of New York and Monique Billings of Phoenix; and Washington guard Julie Vanloo. The Valkyries did not choose a player from Seattle.
Thornton is riding high after helping the Liberty to a WNBA title. Martin, a second-round draft pick this year who played with Caitlin Clark at Iowa, could get more playing time and enjoy a big jump in productivity after she averaged 11.5 minutes and 2.6 points as a rookie with the Aces.
“It’s a pretty cool opportunity. I feel really grateful to be a part of it. It’s a part of history, a new WNBA team,” Martin said. “They haven’t had an expansion draft in a really long time. It’s something super cool to be a part of, and I feel really grateful that they chose me. It’s just going to be a lot of fun. Obviously they’re going to be aggressive, and we’re going to have more people added. That makes it really fun, seeing the roster come together and what it’s going to be, how training camp is going to look.”
The team plans to be active when free agency starts in February.
Golden State did extensive scouting work and had discussions on each player to determine how she might fit in a new system.
“It’s a long process but it’s also a great process for us,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “We kind of did this cycle, where we collaborate, we discuss and then we go watch film, then do it again … and that went over and over again for about two months. And finally we decided, we picked the best players that fit our culture. So we’re excited and can’t wait to get going.”
This marked the WNBA’s first expansion draft in 16 years since the Atlanta Dream joined the league in 2008.
Golden State was free to acquire the contract or negotiating rights to one player from each of the other 12 WNBA teams. The Valkyries can also choose one player from the league who’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Valkyries will play at Chase Center, the 5-year-old home of the Golden State Warriors, and practice across the bay in the organization’s Oakland training facility.
Warriors star Draymond Green sported a Valkyries jersey with No. 25 on the back — for the inaugural campaign of 2025 — while sitting out injured during Thursday’s win over the Houston Rockets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
