The Golden State Valkyries fan base is ready to roar.
On Monday, the Valkyries selected three elite guards in the WNBA Draft: Justė Jocytė of Lithuania, Shyanne Sellers from the University of Maryland, and Kaitlyn Chen, who’s fresh off a NCAA championship with the University of Connecticut.
Fans are hyped.
The creator of the Valkyries subreddit, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns around doxing, told Gazetteer SF they’re most excited about Sellers, the No. 17 overall pick in last night’s draft.
“She's a great distributor and can be a threat driving to the basket using her power to get through defenses,” the Bay Area-based moderator wrote in an email. “You can't win championships without great defense, so I think it's a great model to center the team around.”
Jeanine Nicholson, a Golden State Valkyries season ticket holder, shared a similar sentiment. Nicholson told Gazetteer she “loved” watching Sellers play at Maryland.
“She can play so many different positions and she’s a hustler,” Nicholson said. “She’s pretty humble, too.”
The Valkyries’ No. 5 overall pick, Jocytė, caught some fans off guard mostly due to a lack of familiarity with her game, given she’s been playing overseas. After doing a little digging, the r/Valkyries moderator, who goes by _BlueNightSky_, found that the 19-year-old seems to have a lot of potential as an offensive threat.
“She already shows glimpses of high IQ basketball,” they said. “There’s a lot of potential there and drafting her this young in the WNBA can leave a lot of opportunity to grow and sharpen her skills.”
Ultimately, they said they trust the team’s ownership, head coach Natalie Nakase, and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin. Nyanin, in a press conference last night, told reporters that the goal is for the Valkyries to be competitive in their inaugural season, adding that Nyanin she sees Jocytė playing a key role in that mission.
Jocytė is “someone who is going to come in and not be shy about the moment,” Nyanin said.
She pointed to how the No. 5 overall pick has already played against current WNBA players in the EuroLeague, and has already “seen the bright lights in Europe.”
“I think that is very important,” Nyanin said at the presser. “I think the lights at Chase Center are going to be super bright.”
She is probably right. There’s been a lot of hype around the Valkyries and the squad hasn’t even played a single game. In March, the Valkyries became the first WNBA team to sell 10,000 season tickets. Plus, over on Reddit, the Valkyries fandom is strong with 1,600 members and growing.
For the sake of comparison, the subreddit for the two-time WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces has 1,400 members while the one for last year’s WNBA champions, the New York Liberty, has 4,700 members.
“The fans on the r/valkyries sub are knowledgeable and passionate about the team, and I expect that to carry over into game days at Chase Center and other in-person team events throughout the Bay,” the subreddit’s moderator said.
As the excitement of the draft winds down and the season tips off on May 16, the Valkyries enter a key stretch where they need to figure out how all these pieces fit together. As of today, the Valkyries have 20 players on their roster. Come opening day, the Valkyries will only be permitted to carry 12 players, per WNBA rules.
“Training camp will help us define that,” Nyanin said, adding that individual athletes' performances will “merit who wears our jersey on May 16.”
Valkyries top brass has their work cut out for them. But in the meantime, fans like Nicholson are eager to see how the roster shakes out ahead of opening day.
“I’m curious to see who is going to end up as the starting five,” Nicholson said. “They really don’t have a lot of time to get everyone together. I’m super excited to see the process and who rises to the top.”
For the Valkyries subreddit moderator, they’re looking forward to finally talking shop, discussing the games and having “lively debates about how we can reach that championship-level team play and get our first ring!,” they told Gazetteer.
They’re also excited to finally feel that energy and engagement from fans in real life.
“It's the kind of energy you can only really experience from a Bay Area sports team fanbase,” they said. “I fully expect us to be one of the loudest (if not, the loudest) WNBA team arenas to play in giving our Valkyries players some support and energy while putting the pressure on opposing teams.”
