How the Valkyries have exceeded all expectations -- even their own

SAN FRANCISCO -- Kayla Thornton grabbed the rebound and sprinted downcourt. The Golden State Valkyries forward Euro-stepped around the lone defender between her and the basket, reached the rim and hit a reverse layup.

The crowd erupted, sensing the second-half comeback against the Chicago Sky was nearly complete. Thornton retreated along the sideline, where Golden State owner Joe Lacob reached out for a high five. She slapped his hand, then stopped and let out a roar, sending the fans into an even bigger frenzy.

Such scenes at Chase Center have become commonplace for the WNBA's first expansion franchise in 17 years. Golden State has sold out all 11 of its home games this season and leads the WNBA in attendance.

In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the resting place for great warriors who died in battle. In the summer, Chase Center transforms into Ballhalla, the Valkyries' nickname for its home court that regularly draws 18,000 fans.

The energy has been brewing in the Bay Area since Golden State was awarded a team 20 months ago. Valkyries violet could be seen littering the streets of San Francisco a year before they started playing games, and Golden State became the first team in women's sports history to sell 15,000 season ticket deposits. The city was behind them, and midway through their inaugural season, the Valkyries are on pace to have the highest average home attendance by any team in WNBA history, according to Across the Timeline.

Golden State's accomplishments on the court have been more of a surprise. When the Valkyries opened camp in April, the front office said success this season would be measured by the players' level of buy-in. But the Valkyries (10-12) are in the hunt to become the first WNBA expansion team to reach the postseason in its first year. Golden State has one of the league's top five defenses, holding opponents to the second-lowest scoring total in the league.

And though the team limped into the All-Star break, losing five of six games so far in July, the Valkyries have exceeded nearly all of the expectations surrounding their first season -- even the ones they set for themselves.

"I think we have surpassed what we set out for," Thornton told ESPN. "I thought it was going to take us a little more time to get to know each other, to get to know the system ...

"The fact that we just go out there and play with joy, we play selfless. It makes the game much easier."

NATALIE NAKASE KNEW her players' ability to connect with each other would be crucial on a new team pieced together from two drafts and free agency. And as Golden State's coach and front office built the roster over the past year, they had a particular ideal in mind.

"We needed to pick players with that team-before-self mindset; with that chip on their shoulder," Nakase told ESPN. "I felt like because they all had that, that would become our standard. It wasn't about a face or an elite player."

The need for connectivity is something Nakase learned during her time as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Lob City Los Angeles Clippers. That team featured Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but lost in the first round of the 2017 NBA playoffs.

"I still talk to those guys and they still say, 'If we were connected, if we had great chemistry, what if?'" Nakase said. "But we didn't [have it]. ... That's what I learned: You have to be connected. If you're not connected and on the same page for these games, it's not going to work."

Nakase says the Valkyries don't have a face of the franchise, but all 12 players on the roster make up their identity. Golden State center Temi Fagbenle said they are a team made up of sixth women. Thornton, who previously played on the New York Liberty's super team with Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart that won the 2024 title, said every member of the Valkyries has been waiting for her opportunity to shine.

They don't have a flashy roster full of former lottery picks or all-league selections, but their selflessness has led to early success. The Valkyries have already won more than twice as many games as the last expansion team, the Atlanta Dream, did in their debut season in 2008 (four), and more than the Seattle Storm did (six) in their first season in 2000.

"We just have a lot of players that were on different teams, had the success, but hadn't really been able to flourish, to really show themselves," Thornton said. "So to be able to now come together and put all of us who have been working hard and waiting for this kind of moment, putting all of these types of girls together, it makes something beautiful."

Thornton, in her 10th season, is a prime example, going from a role player with the Liberty to an All-Star with the Valkyries, the first player since 2006 to be selected an All-Star from an expansion franchise.

That amount of buy-in -- from the players, coaches and front office -- was necessary to be a part of the Valkyries.

When general manager Ohemaa Nyanin pitched Golden State to the players and staff she targeted to build this team, she made it clear they should only come to San Francisco if they wanted to be a part of building something from scratch and could handle the ups and downs that come with it.

"If we can create something together, don't you want to be a part of that? You need to be brave in a whole lot of ways to want to be a part of something like that. There was no kind of rose-colored glasses," Nyanin told ESPN. "Oh, and by the way, it's proven to be extremely difficult."

But another part of Nyanin's message landed well with the players.

"She told us, 'We hand-picked each and every one of you to set this up. You would not be here if we didn't think you were up for the jobs,'" 13-year WNBA veteran Tiffany Hayes said.

As soon as the players arrived at camp, Nakase told them that they would be "killers." Their style of play would rely heavily on their defense and the need to make sure the opposition felt them on every single possession.

"Coach Natalie, when she needs to get on us, she gets on us," Thornton said. "She gives us the most confidence and that's what I respect about her. ... She's competitive, she's a dog. That's what we feed off of. Playing for her makes us want to play the game."

Nakase demands a high level of intensity for 40 minutes, and during the preseason, Thornton admitted that was a shift in mindset for her. Slowly it started to become second nature, and the Valkyries believe it has made them competitive in almost every game they play. Golden State hasn't lost a game by more than nine points since June 5.

"When I watch film and see players either diving on the floor, taking a charge, there's only a handful of players that do that in the W. And I almost feel like I have all 12 of them," Nakase said. "So with that, it's unteachable. I feel like any time we do play, we can beat anyone with that type of competitive mindset."

AS LACOB SAT on stage with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, then-San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Warriors co-executive chairman Peter Guber in October 2023 when Golden State was awarded the franchise, Lacob proclaimed something Bay Area basketball fans have heard him say before: "The goal is to win a championship in five years."

That felt like a comfortable timeline to Lacob, but like a lot of people, his expectations were low for the inaugural season.

"I thought we were going to be a lottery team next year," Lacob told ESPN as he erupted into laughter.

Instead, they are in the middle of the playoff race.

Nakase was also prepared for this to be a year spent learning from each other, figuring out the coachability of her players, as they gain an understanding of what she wants from them. But Golden State is far past building the foundation.

"The way we gameplan, we can really push that envelope," Nakase said. "We said we really wanted to be the top team in defense. OK, let's keep that going, let's take that to another level. Let's go now to individual defense. Now we can do more building, more goal setting."

And Lacob's five-year goal continues to be used as motivation to build upon what they've accomplished so far.

"I don't think about it as much of a timeline as much as our North Star," Nyanin said. "Every day you come into work and you're trying to put together a championship product.

"The goal is a championship. OK, great. Now how do you get there? And very candidly, you only get there if you have great people together and everyone has a common goal that they all want to get behind."