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A few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and the Chase Center crowd erupting when Kaitlyn Chen enters a game for the Valkyries. “I’m still in a little bit of shock, like, why do you guys like me so much?” Chen said of the roar that comes before the public address announcer can even finish her name. “I’m definitely very, very grateful for all the support, though.”From the outside, the crowd’s reaction to Chen’s presence may be confusing. The rookie guard isn’t in the starting five, averages 10.5 minutes per game and 2.1 points per game. Yet, Chen’s jersey is the 10th most popular at the WNBA store. It’s her journey to the WNBA and what she represents that resonates with fans the most. Earlier this year, Chen attended the WNBA Draft to support her University of Connecticut teammates, most notably Paige Bueckers, after coming off a collegiate national championship. When her name was called as the 30th overall pick, she became the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted to the WNBA.”She doesn’t get a lot of minutes, but she’ll still be out there having a good time,” said Tyler, who is a season ticket holder and was sporting a Kaitlyn Chen jersey during a Sept. 4 home game. RELATED | Valkyries become 1st WNBA expansion team to reach playoffs in inaugural seasonWith Asian Americans making up a quarter of the Bay Area’s population, Chen’s presence on the court is about a lot more than basketball. “I think it’s really cool, especially because there’s a huge Asian basketball community in the Bay and that’s reflected in the fan base as well. We’re all excited to see someone like us play in the WNBA,” said Valkyries fan Jordyn. While Chen may still be in shock by the attention she’s receiving, she said she’s learning to embrace the spotlight.”There are a lot of Asian Americans in the Bay Area and there aren’t a lot of Asian American athletes out there in professional sports. So, to sort of be a role model for young Asian American athletes is something I take seriously,” Chen said. The Valkyries are finishing out their regular season on the road. The team faces the Seattle Storm Tuesday night and then will head to Minnesota for a matchup against the Lynx on Thursday. After that, they’ll be making a historic trip to the WNBA playoffs. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
A few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and the Chase Center crowd erupting when Kaitlyn Chen enters a game for the Valkyries.
“I’m still in a little bit of shock, like, why do you guys like me so much?” Chen said of the roar that comes before the public address announcer can even finish her name. “I’m definitely very, very grateful for all the support, though.”
From the outside, the crowd’s reaction to Chen’s presence may be confusing. The rookie guard isn’t in the starting five, averages 10.5 minutes per game and 2.1 points per game. Yet, Chen’s jersey is the 10th most popular at the WNBA store.
It’s her journey to the WNBA and what she represents that resonates with fans the most.
Earlier this year, Chen attended the WNBA Draft to support her University of Connecticut teammates, most notably Paige Bueckers, after coming off a collegiate national championship. When her name was called as the 30th overall pick, she became the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted to the WNBA.
“She doesn’t get a lot of minutes, but she’ll still be out there having a good time,” said Tyler, who is a season ticket holder and was sporting a Kaitlyn Chen jersey during a Sept. 4 home game.
RELATED | Valkyries become 1st WNBA expansion team to reach playoffs in inaugural season
With Asian Americans making up a quarter of the Bay Area’s population, Chen’s presence on the court is about a lot more than basketball.
“I think it’s really cool, especially because there’s a huge Asian basketball community in the Bay and that’s reflected in the fan base as well. We’re all excited to see someone like us play in the WNBA,” said Valkyries fan Jordyn.
While Chen may still be in shock by the attention she’s receiving, she said she’s learning to embrace the spotlight.
“There are a lot of Asian Americans in the Bay Area and there aren’t a lot of Asian American athletes out there in professional sports. So, to sort of be a role model for young Asian American athletes is something I take seriously,” Chen said.
The Valkyries are finishing out their regular season on the road. The team faces the Seattle Storm Tuesday night and then will head to Minnesota for a matchup against the Lynx on Thursday. After that, they’ll be making a historic trip to the WNBA playoffs.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
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