The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which started in 1997, previously had a team in northern California in the Sacramento Monarchs, which played from 1997 until folding in 2009, despite winning a league championship in 2005.[4] After the Monarchs ended, the WNBA remained steady with 12 teams, although there was often talk of expanding the league.[4]
On October 5, 2023, the expansion team was officially announced, with plans to begin play in 2025, being the first expansion team in the WNBA since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.[6][7][8][9] The expansion fee for the franchise was reported to be $50 million over 10 years.[10] It was reported that the team name's would include "Golden State", with announcement of the name, logos, and uniforms to come at a later date.[9]
Within the first few hours of being announced, over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed.[9] On January 30, 2024, Jess Smith, an executive with Angel City FC of the NWSL, was hired as the team's president.[11] On April 16, the team surpassed 6,000 season ticket deposits.[12]Ohemaa Nyanin was announced as general manager on May 7.[13] A WNBA expansion draft occurred in early December 2024, and Golden State will participate in its first WNBA draft in 2025.[14][15][16]
The team name – Golden State Valkyries – and logos were revealed on May 14, 2024.[17] The logo features the Bay Bridge, symbolizing the connection between San Francisco and Oakland with the cables doubling as wings and the tower doubling as a sword. The thirteen lines from the sword represent the Valkyries as the thirteenth team in the league, and the wings split the space into five triangles to represent the ten players on the court. The outer shape is a V to represent the Valkyries.[17]
^"Valkyries Unveil Secondary Logos". Valkyries.com. WNBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024. The Valkyrie Figure incorporates gold, the team's secondary color, with golden armor creating a regal, statuesque look. The Valkyrie Violet in the cape ties back to the team's core color, unifying the design.
