Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

In his first press conference, Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob promised fans a WNBA championship in the first five years of the franchise. Now his team is four wins away from making good on that promise in just its second season.Led by superstar Gabby Williams, who is averaging 22.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4 assists in the playoffs, and innovative head coach Natalie Nakase , the Valkyries face the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals beginning Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco.Golden State has reached the best-of-seven series with a unique blend of the league’s best defense pair with an aggressive three-point offense.Ms. Nakase, a former UCLA player, spent three years as an assistant coach with the Aces, when Las Vegas won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. Prior to her stint with the Aces, she spent 10 seasons in a player development role and as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. After claiming WNBA Coach of the Year honors in 2025 for leading Golden State to the playoffs in its inaugural season, she now has her team on the verge of the ultimate accomplishment.“How I create my team culture is choosing 12 players that have a very competitive mindset, who work extremely hard,” Ms. Nakase said at the start of her Valkyries tenure. “The baseline is just being a great human being, you don’t always just think about yourself but you think about your teammates constantly.”The Valkyries use depth as a weapon with 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. Forward Janelle Salaun was the unanimous choice as the league’s Sixth Player of the Year, after averaging 12.7 points off the bench during the regular season. “We know the second unit can play or start if they really, really wanted,” Ms. Nakase said on the team’s website. “So, it’s understanding we have strength in numbers.”The Valkyries owned the Dream during the regular season, sweeping all three games against Atlanta. However, the Dream enters the Finals riding a 10-game winning streak, including an undefeated 5-0 postseason run.Angel Reese, Atlanta Seek First TitleAtlanta is led by Angel Reese who becomes the first in the heralded 2024 WNBA Draft Class to reach the Finals ahead of Ms. Clark and the five others selected ahead of her.The former LSU standout helped the Dream reach the Finals after two seasons with the Chicago Sky, which drafted her seventh overall but remained at the bottom of the WNBA standings.This past offseason, Chicago made a blockbuster trade, sending her and 2028 second-round pick swap rights to the Dream for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028. She made an immediate impact, earning a third All-Star appearance and her first Defensive Player of the Year Award.Ms. Reese has averaged 18 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.2 blocks in her five playoff games after averaging 16.4 points and 12.1 rebounds during the regular season. Her toughness and inside presence were especially key to the Dream’s victory over the Liberty in the semifinals.“Knowing when I came to Atlanta, I wanted to do whatever it takes,” Ms. Reese told reporters after eliminating the Liberty. “Not just to get out of the first round, not just to get out in the semis, but to make it to the Finals and win a championship. But the job is not done. We’re definitely happy about where we are right now, but we’re not satisfied.”Despite being a foundational WNBA presence since 2008, the Atlanta Dream has never won a WNBA Championship, having been swept in all three of their previous Finals appearances (2010, 2011, and 2013).Ms. Reese shot below 40 percent from the field in two of the three games against Golden State. She averaged 14 points and 12.3 rebounds in the three losses.Home Crowd MismatchA major off-court issue heading into the WNBA Finals is the stark contrast in venue sizes. Games 1 and 2 will be played in front of sold-out crowds in excess of 18,000 at San Francisco’s Chase Center, while Atlanta’s home games are scheduled for Gateway Center Arena, which holds 3,500.Atlanta has been working to move Game 3 set for October 22 and Game 4 on October 24 to State Farm Arena but there are conflicting events already scheduled. State Farm Arena’s event schedule says SOMBR will be performing at 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 22 and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks are set to play the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET on October 24.The Dream played three home playoff games and six of their 22 home games during the regular season at the larger State Farm Arena, which seats 16,888 for basketball games. It’s also a downtown location, making it ideal for not only larger crowds, but also access to hotels, highways and mass transit. The Gateway Center Arena is located just outside Atlanta in College Park, Georgia.Atlanta was exploring other potential venues such as McCavish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus, which seats nearly 9,000.Last week, the Dream announced it will play all of its 2027 home games at State Farm Arena. Each team will have 25 home games as part of an expanded 50-game WNBA regular-season schedule.Meanwhile, Chase Center has proven to be one of the most valuable and imposing venues in the WNBA. Since its inception in 2025, the Valkyries have sold out every single regular-season home game. Golden State also led the WNBA in home attendance and averaged a sellout of 18,064 fans.According to the Consumer News and Business Channel, the venue and crowd support have helped the franchise become the first women’s sports team worth $1 billion, 30 months after owners Mr. Lacob and Peter Guber paid a $50 million expansion fee in 2023.“If you’re following the continued growth of each (women’s sports) league, and specifically the WNBA, this is just the beginning of what’s on the horizon,” Golden State team president Jess Smith told Yahoo Sports. “When you look forward, you see what’s possible with more games, more visibility, more media dollars, more ticket sales, more merchandise and more international opportunities. Seeing the market grow as quickly as it did, especially in this specific league at this specific time, it’s a fair valuation and there are more teams that will get there soon.”Getting the Last LaughWhile Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever watched their season end in the playoff quarterfinals, DeWanna Bonner is vying for her third WNBA Championship. A 17-year league veteran, Ms. Bonner joined the Dream in late August after reaching a buyout with the Phoenix Mercury two days after the Mercury were officially eliminated from postseason contention. At the time, Phoenix general manager Nick U’Ren said that Ms. Bonner, 39, was being released to give the six-time All-Star a chance “to chase a title in what could be her final season.”Having previously captured WNBA titles with Phoenix in 2009 and 2014, she promptly signed with an Atlanta squad that had already secured its playoff spot. Her arrival spearheaded a late-season surge, guiding the Dream back to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013 and placing Ms. Bonner within reach of a third championship ring.Among those applauding Ms. Bonner’s impact on Atlanta is Ms. Cunningham. “You have to give Atlanta credit,” she said on her podcast. “Their roster this year, adding DeWanna Bronner, I think that experience, and that leadership, and veteran (presence) has absolutely helped them dial in on what’s important.”It’s a notable source of praise coming from Ms. Cunningham, who turned Ms. Bonner into an unflattering internet target when Ms. Cunningham pointed her index finger at her after the two got into a brief scuffle during a game between the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury in July.“The point” — a 22-second clip of Ms. Cunningham pointing her finger directly at Ms. Bonner’s face — spread rapidly across social media platforms, with unofficial merch sellers cashing in on bootleg T-shirts depicting the moment.Inside the Dream locker room, teammates and coaches say that Ms. Bonner’s leadership and experience have added to the team’s identity. Playing a reserve role, she appeared in the final five regular season games with Atlanta and all five playoff games. After averaging nearly 9 points and 5 rebounds per game with the Dream during the regular season, she is averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds during the playoffs.Now she’s pointing toward another WNBA title. “We’re going to lock in because we know the job is not done yet,” Ms. Bonner said. “We didn’t come this far just to come this far.”

Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

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