Valkyries Win First WNBA Title in Two Seasons — SkimNews
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- Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on Saturday to win their first WNBA championship, doing so two years after expansion rather than Joe Lacob’s five-year target.
- Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion franchise in WNBA history to reach the playoffs in its inaugural 2025 season, then were swept by the Minnesota Lynx before returning to win the title the following year.
- Ohemaa Nyanin and Natalie Nakase handpicked Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton in the expansion draft, added former Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes in free agency and selected 19-year-old Juste Jocyte with the No. 5 pick in 2025.
- Gabby Williams averaged 14.4 points, shot 34.2% from three, placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned All-Defensive first-team honors before scoring 30 points to claim Finals MVP.
- Kiah Stokes started every game after Iliana Rupert announced she would miss the 2026 season because of pregnancy, and tied Lisa Leslie for the WNBA postseason record with 31 blocked shots.
- Natalie Nakase opened training camp with three defense-only days featuring no shooting or running plays, establishing the approach behind a league-best 75.1 points allowed per game and the second-ranked postseason defense.
- Natalie Nakase rated her communication an F-minus after the first three Finals games, then replaced Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini with Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles in the Game 4 lineup; Golden State won the next two games.
Why it matters: Joe Lacob set a five-year target, but Nakase and Nyanin delivered in two with a roster that had no All-WNBA selections. After falling behind 2-1, Nakase’s lineup changes helped Golden State win two games and a title, making player feedback a concrete part of the championship equation.
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