Kate Martin Shows Love for Valkyries Fans After Win vs Liberty

The Golden State Valkyries have been one of the biggest stories of the WNBA season. Their impressive record, impending playoff berth and sky-high franchise valuation have broken the mold for what an Expansion Franchise can be.

Among all that success has been one constant: the fervent support of the San Francisco faithful home crowd.

The Valkyries play their home games at the Chase Center in San Francisco, a stadium they share with the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. But, when the Valkyries are on the court, the stadium takes on a new name: Ballhalla, a play on Valhalla, the afterlife of Odin’s warriors in Norse mythology.

The intensity in which Golden State’s home crowd has supported their new team has been constant. The Valkyries have sold out every home game this season and lead the league in attendance. Basketball fans in the Bay have become accustomed to greatness with the Warriors in town and they have shown up in force to see the same thing in their WNBA team.

Ballhalla’s support was on display yet again in the Valkyries’ 66-58 win over the New York Liberty on September 2. When Golden State guard Kate Martin was interviewed post-game, she had some fond words for the way the team’s home crowd has shown up for them, even as the team struggled in parts of the game.

“The fact that our crowd stayed with it and stayed consistent as they always do, it really helps us, it really gives us an extra boost of energy, especially when we haven’t hit a basket in a few possessions,” Martin said (via Kenzo Fukuda of Clutch Points). They are the Sixth Man of the Year for sure, Sixth Woman, Sixth Crowd.”

The cheers and support coming from Ballhalla are the true epitome of home court advantage. The Valkyries have the best home defensive rating of any team in the WNBA at 94.6 (per BetMGM), a credit to the comfort the team feels at home.

That support gives the team finishing power as well. As the clock runs down and the cheers pour in, it’s not hard to see how the love from fans can give a team an extra boost, especially in a tight game such as the one between the Valkyries and the Liberty. Martin felt the same.

“Down the stretch, whenever we knew that the game was coming to a close, hearing them getting so excited and staying to the buzzer, we feel super grateful we get to play in front of a crowd like that every single night,” Martin said.

Though some may argue Ballhalla is a little too friendly, at least to opposing teams.

“Our crowds are super, super friendly, so much so that in the beginning of the game when they’re introducing the other team, they keep cheering for everyone else,” Golden State center Temi Fágbénlé said with a laugh. “When they’re in our home, they’re uncomfortable and they should feel like they’re not welcome.”

Ballhalla may trend more toward friendly than hostile when it comes to visiting teams, but it’s without question that they are ride-or-die fans for their hometown squad.

That home support is something that will come in handy in the playoffs. If the season ended today, the Valkyries would be the sixth seed and face the No.3 Atlanta Dream. The first round of the playoffs will be a 1-1-1 format, meaning the Valkyries would host Game 2 in that particular matchup and give Ballhalla the chance to cheer on playoff basketball for the first time ever.