SAN FRANCISCO — Once general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and her Golden State Valkyries staff had decided who to pick in the WNBA expansion draft, the first challenge became reaching each player with the news before she heard it anywhere else.
That meant considering practice times, game schedules, time zones and potential sleep times. It all seemed worthwhile Friday night when the roster began taking shape.
The way Nyanin looks at it, they are all part of history, about to join something being built from the ground up.
“I just want these players to be happy,” Nyanin said. “I want them to understand the opportunity that they have to come and be historians. Once you get to put on that jersey and you get to sit in front of a packed Chase Center, your whole experience is going to change.”
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.
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Golden State rounded out its 11-woman roster with Indiana center Temi Fagbenle; 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.”
Nyanin described the process of starting a new team as “complex.”
“I think these athletes are a really good step forward in our journey,” said Nyanin, who also had conversations about trades. “I was so excited about the blank canvas, and then behind closed doors it was blank. Nobody’s name just appeared or anything so there was a lot of work that myself and my team put into it. The complexities around it is what I want to continue to highlight because these are 11 humans, right? They all thought one thing and they woke up today or are still sleeping and they’re a part of the Golden State Valkyries.”
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.
There is already plenty of hype in San Francisco and beyond.
And there was excitement on both sides during those initial calls to the players.
“We got some really good reactions,” Nyanin said. “We talked about it just internally the three of us, like, ‘Should we have taped that, should we have kind of screen recorded or something?’ I’m very happy that we didn’t. That’s a moment that we will get to share just the four of us with each of the different athletes.”
