The Valkyries made WNBA history and won over fans in just one season

SAN FRANCISCO — Exhausted and finally able to catch her breath, Jess Smith sat down for a celebratory postgame meal out with her family when two preteen boys at a nearby table began analyzing all the winning plays by the Golden State Valkyries from earlier in the day.

They impressed the president of the WNBA’s newest team with their knowledge, discussing the highlights just like they surely would Stephen Curry and the NBA’s Warriors.

“They were pronouncing the players’ names correctly, they were talking so passionately about how skilled our players were,” Smith said. “You could tell they watched the whole game and they were sitting there with each other talking about it, just as they would any other Bay Area team.”

As the WNBA playoffs begin this weekend, the Valkyries aren’t just any team. They’re the first WNBA expansion franchise to reach the postseason during its inaugural season, an achievement that comes with interest surrounding the league and women’s sports continuing to grow in popularity. The buzz is evident with raucous sellout crowds at Chase Center, now dubbed “Ballhalla” in a cheeky play on Valhalla — which in Norse mythology is where Valkyries guide the souls of slain Warriors.

Golden State had just pulled off a commanding 27-point home victory against Las Vegas on that Saturday in June when Smith went out to eat. It marked the largest win in franchise history — yes, a young one — until a 90-59 triumph at Chicago on Aug. 15 topped that.

“It’s been a blast,” said owner Joe Lacob, who has loved women’s basketball dating to the Americans’ dominance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was a founding owner in the former ABL.

Players also are thrilled to be building something from the ground up, being part of all the special firsts for this franchise.

“The way that the bay grows is by being there for each other, is uplifting each other, is lending that helping hand when people need it,” guard Tiffany Hayes said. “Or even just working together, just connecting people that need to be connected. A little connection can bring you a long way. That’s just what the Valkyries have been showing everybody. You see Ballhalla’s packed every night, that people feel the love from what they’re getting when they come here.”

The Valkyries have captivated their target audience, and then some. Every age and color, every walk of life, that’s what you see inside Chase Center — where grown men are rocking their pale purple.

“Valkyries violet!” emphasized Lacob, who initially wasn’t sure of the color scheme and now wears his violet pullover with pride.

The Bay Area already had an established fan base for women’s basketball with strong support of the college programs such as California and Stanford.

Now, all eyes are on the Valkyries and their success — and not just in Northern California but well beyond. Toronto Tempo expansion team president Teresa Resch recently attended a game and was shown on the big screen.

Golden State’s new Raven “bestie” as they call her — she’s not a mascot — named Violet is a huge hit. She made her debut Aug. 11 for a matchup with Connecticut. The sporty Violet dances around the arena sharing friendship bracelets after hatching from a large purple egg following a four-day incubation outside Chase Center this summer.

Fans are loving the attention to such details. All 22 regular-season home games were sellouts. But the eighth-seeded Valkyries will relocate to SAP Center in San Jose for their home playoff game Wednesday against Minnesota because of the Laver Cup tennis event, which had been scheduled before San Francisco was granted a WNBA team.

On the floor, coach Natalie Nakase has produced a consistent winner with players who mix and match and thrive on their depth — especially important with a rash of late-season injuries — stingy defense and 3-point shooting.

The 45-year-old Nakase kept Golden State focused on the task at hand night after night, with making playoffs the goal from Day 1.

“It’s about being organized, it’s about being thoughtful, it’s about being prepared,” she said. “And I think when you have that type of mindset among the coaching staff then I think that’s when you can develop. I tell our coaches how can we improve every single day and not just let days off go by.”

Last summer while grabbing another meal, Smith went to pay when she learned her bill had been taken care of by an appreciative fan and now-season ticket-holder. The woman wrote a thank-you for all of Smith’s tireless work and said, “I’ve been waiting for something like this.”

Smith shared that at a staff meeting and made it clear the woman didn’t have it quite right: Every part of running a successful organization is a collaboration, and the Valkyries wouldn’t be where they are without fans like her.

Oh, and supporters like Curry and fellow Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski showing up to shine light on the women’s game. Podziemski has been a regular sitting courtside next to Lacob wearing different players’ jerseys every night.

“It is just remarkable, I mean it’s just fantastic,” Lacob said. “First of all, selling out every game but secondly winning, does it get any better as an expansion team? It’s pretty great. The fans are having so much fun. It’s just unbelievable.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball