SAN FRANCISCO – The track is laid, the parts have been acquired and finally, or so it seems, the The Golden State Valkyries rev the engines.
The Bay Area’s next professional sports franchise took the first steps toward building its roster Friday by selecting 11 players — four guards, five forwards and two centers — WNBA Expansion Draft. Notables include guard Kate Martin of the Las Vegas Aces and center Temi Fagbenle of the Indiana Fever.
Coach Natalie Nakase clearly stated its priorities:
“We’re definitely going to hang our hat on the defense,” she said Friday on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Pregame Live.” “I said it over and over again. We’re going to be serious. We’re going to be tough. Every player we’ve selected is battle-tested, meaning they’ll do whatever it takes to win.
“Offensively, we’re going to play the right way. We will focus on execution. And we’re going to focus on the little details. The little details matter in our attack.
There is a strong international presence on Golden State’s team, as seven of the 11 players have played on multiple continents.
Each of the 12 established WNBA teams was allowed to protect six players, while the rest – those whose rights belong to the team or are on the active roster – were made available to the Valkyries. They were allowed to select an unprotected player. Golden State chose not to select anyone from the Seattle Storm.
“We are competitive,” general manager Ohemaa Nyanin told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Every athlete has a chip on their shoulder. They are ready to work. The majority of them have not been given the larger platform within the WNBA, specifically for playing. Why not in the Bay? Let’s create “his story” together.
Here is an alphabetical list of those chosen as inaugural members of the Valkyries:
Monique Billings (of the Phoenix Mercury): The 6-foot-4 UCLA forward, a second-round pick in the 2018 draft, has played for three different teams, splitting 37 games (13 starts) last season between Dallas and Phoenix.
Veronica Burton (from the Connecticut Sun): The 5-foot-9 guard from Northwestern was selected by Dallas with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, but was waived after two seasons.
Maria Condé (from Chicago Sky): The 6ft 1in fullback, the newest on Sky’s roster, has spent the last six years in Europe, all four playing for USK Praha in the Czech League. The Sky has held her draft rights since 2019, but she has yet to make her WNBA debut.
Témi Fagbenle (from Indiana Fever): The 6-foot-4 center, who played collegiately at Harvard and USC, was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Lynx in 2016. After five years overseas, she returned to the W in January last with Fever. At 32, Fagbenle is the oldest member of the team.
Carla Leite (Dallas Wings): The 5-foot-9 guard who grew up in France – attending Tony Parker Academy high school – was a first-round pick (9th overall) of the Wings in the 2024 draft, but decided to stay overseas. At 20 years old, she is the youngest member of the Valkyries.
Kate Martin (Aces): The 6-foot guard who was a teammate of Caitlin Clark at the University of Iowa was selected in the second round of the 2024 draft. On a Vegas roster rich in star guards, she appeared in 34 games as rookie, scoring two starts.
Iliana Rupert (from Atlanta Dream): The 6-foot-4 center was selected by the Aces in the first round (12th overall) of the 2021 draft and was part of the 2022 championship team. She missed the 2024 season to prepare for the French team for the Olympics of Paris and won a silver medal.
Stephanie Talbot (of the Los Angeles Sparks): The 6-foot-2 forward was drafted in the third round in 2014, but spent most of her professional career playing in her native Australia. She appeared in 37 games (10 starts) with Los Angeles last season and finished fourth in minutes played.
Kayla Thornton (New York Liberty): The 6-foot-1 forward, undrafted in 2014, spent her professional career traveling the world, playing on three different continents while keeping one foot in the WNBA. She is considered a defensive specialist.
Julie Vanloo (Washington Mystics): The 5-foot-8 point guard, born in Belgium, spent 10 years playing overseas before joining the Mystics last season. She played in all 40 games last season, making 34 starts, averaging 7.4 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Cecilia Zandalasini (Minnesota Lynx): The 6-foot-2 Italian forward signed in 2017 as an unrestricted free agent with the Lynx, but has spent most of her professional career in Europe. After three seasons exclusively in Europe, she re-signed with Minnesota last April.
The next step in building the Valkyries will be free agency in February. The Valkyries made careful selections during the expansion draft, leaving themselves plenty of room to explore the market. Stars such as Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, Brianna Jones and DeWanna Bonner could be available.
Golden State has the No. 5, No. 17 and No. 30 selections in the April 14 WNBA draft.
“After we finish the first part of our journey,” Nyanin said, “we want to go find the next athletes who want to put Valkyries on their chest.”