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By any and every measure, the 2025 season has been a rousing success for the Golden State Valkyries. Despite a fairly quiet expansion draft and debut offseason, the Valkyries have done everything right. They put together a cohesive roster with a strong identity. They hired a budding superstar coach in Natalie Nakase. They set WNBA records with season ticket sales and have smashed through the gates at Chase Center. They currently have a 7-6 record and are sitting in a postseason spot, which is stunning for an expansion team (the last expansion team in league history, for example, the Atlanta Dream, went 4-30 in their debut season).
And now, less than halfway into their inaugural season, the Valkyries have accomplished a new staggering feat: they’re the most valuable team in the WNBA. According to Sportico, a sports business media publication, the Valkyries top the league with a valuation of $500 million, towering over the next-highest team, the defending-champion New York Liberty ($450 million). Only four of the league’s 13 teams have a valuation even half of what Golden State has.
WNBA franchise valuations are up 180% compared to 2024, which is more than double the previous biggest year-over-year gain for a major sports league
The @valkyries rank No. 1 at $500M pic.twitter.com/1nQKdHzN3I
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) June 24, 2025
To put that number in perspective, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber — who founded the Valkyries — purchased the Golden State Warriors 15 years ago for just $450 million. And they paid $50 million as the expansion fee to become the league’s 13th team.
But the number makes sense. The Valkyries have captured the heart of the Bay Area and run with it. They’re packing the Chase Center to the brim, and that will surely show up when revenue is announced … according to the same Sportico article, the Indiana Fever topped the league last year at $33.8 million. And with the league rapidly growing, things only figure to improve.
Of course, there’s a bit of silliness in slapping valuation figures on sports teams. Lacob once called a valuation figure for the Warriors inaccurate, pointing out that there’s no chance he’d sell the team for that price, so how could it properly be listed as the valuation.
But the point remains. It’s been a brilliant debut season for the Valkyries. Brilliant on the court, brilliant in the community, and brilliant in the books.
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