SAN FRANCISCO — It all starts Tuesday.
After seven grueling training camp practices, the WNBA expansion Golden State Valkyries will get a chance to face an opponent when they play the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center in their first preseason game .
The 7 p.m. tipoff is just a dress rehearsal, but the excitement from the players is noticeable.
“I have a lot of nerves, not like this is my first year, but this will be our first time playing in this arena,” ninth-year veteran Kayla Thornton said. “It’ll be our franchise’s first game. Whether it’s our first preseason game or not, I’m just excited to get to the court.”
“It’s awesome playing against each other, but we definitely want to be able to execute and show what we have on the floor,” added forward Laeticia Amihere. “I know going into a new atmosphere, breaking ground on a new court is going to be special for us and the fans. We have to just get those jitters out pretty quickly, but also keep it pretty simple.”
On Monday, the Valkyries released their first look at their home court. The sidelines are painted in bright violet and the team’s logo sits confidently at center court.
Also announced on Monday was the Valkyries’ TV broadcast team. Jacob Tobey (play-by-play), Morgan Ragan (analyst) and Derek Clark (play-by-play) will be the trio calling games on CBS Bay Area. CBS sports anchor Vern Glenn will host the team’s studio show along with analyst Zena Keita and former WNBA player Layshia Clarendon.
On the court, coach Natalie Nakase will be looking to find the right combination of players who can play defense and push the pace.
The first-year head coach has preached the importance of stopping their opponents and spacing the floor throughout training camp, and the Valkyries will get to see how they stack up against a Sparks team that is loaded with young, athletic talent.
“Taking care of the ball is huge for us,” Nakase said. “It’s not about playing fast, but playing our pace, and we’re really starting to find that.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) puts on her shoes during training camp held at the Sephora Performance Center in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
While Nakase hasn’t said much about who will be in the rotation, Thornton and veteran guard Tiffany Hayes figure to be key players against the Sparks.
Thornton is coming off a championship season with the New York Liberty last season in which she shot a career-high 35.7% from the 3-point line. Hayes has been a near-double digit per game scorer for the majority of her 12-season WNBA career.
No matter how the preseason game goes, the Valkyries are committed to playing with high intensity for 40 minutes.
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“Fans are going to see that we’re just energetic. Even when we mess up plays, we’re still going to play through,” Thornton said. “We’re going to fight to the end and give them our best.”
Naturally, there will be nervous energy for the new team, but Nakase said she has a plan to shake out the jitters.
“I’m going to tell the coaches, ‘Do you guys want to dance tomorrow?’ Just to loosen them up,” Nakase said. “At the end of the day, you have to have fun and be free, so we might have to get another dance routine tomorrow.”
Unfortunately for the Valkyries, they won’t have the basketball stage to themselves Tuesday night.
It just so happens that their first time on the court will unfold almost simultaneously to Game 1 of the Warriors’ second-round series in Minneapolis against the Timberwolves, which tips off at 6:30 p.m.
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase speaks to the media during their training camp at the Valkyries Performance Center in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
