Even as the confetti rained down from the rafters in Ballhalla, it was hard to believe that the Golden State Valkyries had actually won the 2026 WNBA title in just their second year of existence. No team in North American professional sports had ever become champions that fast, and the Valkyries did it without a single All-WNBA player -- a first in league history. "All it took was good people.
That's it," Finals MVP Gabby Williams said. "All we heard last year, 'We don't have no stars, we don't have no talent.' Yeah right. We got people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game.
They don't care about scoring. They just want to play defense and rebound and do whatever it takes. We built a beautiful culture here." The Valkyries exceeded expectations in 2025 by becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season, but even after making Williams their marquee signing in free agency last offseason, no one expected them to be title contenders.
If anything, their decision to punt on the 2026 WNBA Draft by trading the No. 8 pick (Flau'jae Johnson) for two second-rounders raised significant questions about their process. And when French center Iliana Rupert was ruled out for the season due to maternity leave, their frontcourt appeared extremely thin. And sure enough, the Valkyries got off to a middling start.
As the midpoint of the season approached, the Valkyries were 10-7 and just 3-6 against teams that eventually made the playoffs. Everything changed after that point, ironically with three wins over the Atlanta Dream in the span of 11 days. Those victories were part of a nine-game winning streak that catapulted the Valkyries into the top half of the standings, where they would remain the rest of the way.
They went 22-5 to close the season, and nearly chased down the Minnesota Lynx for the top seed. They did so on the back of one of the best defenses we have ever seen. The Valkyries' 99.1 defensive rating was more than four points per 100 possessions better than any other team, and they were second in opponent turnover rate (19.2%) and second in opponent true shooting (53.5%).
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