The Golden State Valkyries’ unprecedented Finals run

The GIST: ICYMI: The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champs in just their second season after beating the Atlanta Dream 68–63 in Saturday’s Game 7. Let’s relish in this unprecedented Valks run.

📋 An expansion success story: The goal was to win a championship within five seasons, but the Valkyries only needed two, eclipsing the Milwaukee Bucks’ three-season mark to become the fastest hoops expansion squad to reach the pinnacle. Three women were the masterminds for Golden State: general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, head coach Natalie Nakase, and president Jess Smith.

• Nyanin assembled a roster that fit Nakase’s defense-driven, high-intensity vision, drafting then-role players (like floor general Veronica Burton) that fit the mold. The trio next prioritized buy-in, building a brand both players and fans adored. A playbook worth emulating.

❌ No All-WNBA selections on the roster: Golden State is the first squad to win a title without a player on the first or second All-WNBA team — but that didn’t mean the stars weren’t shining.

• 1️⃣ Finals MVP Gabby Williams dropped a WNBA–record 28 second-half points in Game 7, the most in a single half of a playoff game in league history. Doing it her way.

• 2️⃣ Four-time WNBA champ Kiah Stokes has now won back-to-back titles with two different teams, recording a history-making 19 blocks in this year’s Finals.

💪 Nakase’s no stranger to firsts: She was the first woman head coach in Japan’s top men’s pro league, the first woman to sit on an NBA bench, and the first Asian American head coach in the WNBA. Now, she’s the first Asian American head coach to win a WNBA championship. That certainly deserves a nod of approval.