After making playoffs in first year, Valkyries gear up for more going into next season

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Fresh off a history-making playoff run in their inaugural season, the Golden State Valkyries are already gearing up for much more in Year 2.

And so are their faithful fans.

President Jess Smith said Tuesday that more than 90% of season-ticketholders have re-committed for the 2026 season — and that's some 10,000-plus fans. And the Valkyries know expectations will be even greater after such a successful first year, with Smith noting everybody is focused on “How can we do it better?"

Golden State became the first franchise in WNBA history to reach the postseason in its inaugural year.

“We're not satisfied,” Smith said at the team's Oakland training facility. “This is the beginning of the beginning. This isn't a movie premiere, this is a team that will be here forever and build legacy and to be a part of this great league. And so for us we're constantly thinking of the things we did well, what we think we can make better and the things that we haven't done yet that we want to.”

Smith referenced one woman from Fresno some four hours away who had season tickets this season, when Golden State sold out all 22 of its home games at 18,064-capacity Chase Center and another for the playoff game against Minnesota last week that was held at San Jose's SAP Center given a conflict at the arena because of the previously scheduled Laver Cup tennis event.

Golden State established a raucous home-court atmosphere in "Ballhalla” as it became known inside Chase Center, the team's play on Valhalla — which in Norse mythology is where Valkyries guide the souls of slain Warriors.

The Valkyries' season ended in a 75-74 loss to the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx last Wednesday in Game 2 of their first-round series, with Cecilia Zandalasini missing a jumper just before the buzzer. Golden State squandered a 17-point third-quarter lead.

“And then you got to look up and you see everybody standing, 18,000 fans standing,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “After a loss some fans will boo but that's not Ballhalla. They supported us, they were our sixth man, so the reflection for me has been proud and the fact that I built a new family here.”

Nakase told her players how thrilled she was that they nearly forced a deciding Game 3. Nakase was named WNBA Coach of the Year and AP Coach of the Year, while Veronica Burton earned the league’s most improved player award.

Owner Joe Lacob challenged Nakase to win a championship in the franchise's first five years, and she plans to deliver it.

The first-year coach also offered a lasting message for her team: “Everyone, go get some rest, go on vacation, go celebrate what you just did,” Nakase said, “because next year I told them we're all going to do more. And that's what I'm going to focus them on.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball