One of the coolest aspects of an expansion team is the opportunity it can create for previously unsung players.
The rules the Golden State Valkyries had to fill their inaugural roster meant that they were never going to wind up with an initial superstar. They had to build up piece by piece.
And on Wednesday night, that meant a balanced roster of women who hadn’t quite ever had the chance to shine in the WNBA found themselves chasing the broader context here.
The Valkyries had lost the first regular season game in the history of their franchise, but on this night, they won 76-74.
They were paced by Veronica Burton, who had the best night of her WNBA career by far.
Burton’s final stats:
- 22 points
- 9 rebounds
- 5 assists
- 2 steals
- 6-11 FG
- 3-4 3FG
- 7-8 FT
That’s truly a superstar stat line.
MORE: Hailey Van Lith’s bench role explained
Burton’s previous scoring career high was 15 points, which came late in her 2022 rookie season.
The former Northwestern star comes from a family of college athletes, and she’s carrying the Burton mantle at the professional level.
On Wednesday night, Veronica Burton was far from her hometown in Massachusetts. But she was being watched by plenty, and Burton put on an unprecedented show both in terms of her career and in…
