On Friday, December 6th, the Golden State Valkyries held their expansion draft to build a roster prior to their WNBA 2025 debut tipoff. For the draft, each of the existing 12 teams provided a pool of six players for the Valkyries to choose one. To celebrate the new roster, here are player cards that are now members of the first ever Valkyries’ roster.
Leite has played professional basketball in France since she was 18. This will be Leite’s rookie season in the WNBA, though she was drafted earlier this year by the Dallas Wings. She chose to stay in Europe for the 2024 WNBA season.
Conde does not have a card, but this will be her rookie season in the WNBA. She went to FSU, graduating in 2017 before being selected by the Chicago Sky in the 2019 Draft, though she never played. She is from Spain and has played for the Spanish national team as well as several European clubs.
…
In a move that shocked many, the Valkyries abstained from selecting a player from the Seattle Storm’s roster. While the Valkyries did not HAVE to choose a player from every team, the choice drew a lot of attention.
