The Golden State Valkyries began building their 2025 debut roster on Friday, when the first WNBA expansion draft since February 2008 saw the league’s incoming 13th franchise select its first players.
Other than each team’s six protected players, the Valkyries were allowed to choose a maximum of one player from each of the league’s 12 current squads, including one total unrestricted free agent.
Golden State selected 11 notable 2024 contributors, leaving only the Seattle Storm’s current roster intact.
Loaded with a barrage of both established and international talent, the Valkyries chose seven players who are at or over the WNBA’s average age of 27, signaling the new franchise’s interest in leveraging veteran talent to form a team who could immediately contend for a championship title.
Ultimately, Golden State GM Ohemaa Nyanin wants her new draftees “to be happy. I want them to understand the opportunity that they have to come and be historians. Once you get to put on that jersey and you get to sit in front of a packed Chase Center, your whole experience is going to change.”
Bench stars highlight Valkyries expansion draft picks
Golden State snagged stellar talent on Friday,…
