Golden State Valkyries Push into the Playoffs, Ready to ‘Put Their V’s Up’

SPEAKER_2 (0:03)

Support for KQED podcasts comes from the San Francisco Marin Food Bank. The culinary event One Big Table on October 3rd features celebrated Bay Area chefs, dancing and more, all to help end hunger.

Tickets at sfmfoodbank.org/onebigtable.

SPEAKER_3 (0:24)

A dark night, a quiet house, but inside danger was lurking.

Emily (0:29)

Not really, we have Xfinity Shield, so we're not worried.

SPEAKER_5 (0:32)

What if protecting your home and devices could be drama free?

Katie Hensel (0:35)

Xfinity, imagine that.

Tamron Spruill (0:37)

Restrictions apply, not available in all areas.

Alexis Madrigal (0:39)

Welcome to Forum, I'm Alexis Madrigal. If you're a Bay Area basketball fan, even a delusional one like me, you know that the Warriors are unlikely to win a title this year or next year or really for the foreseeable future, but you don't need it to spare. The Golden State Valkyries are the number two seed in this year's WNBA Playoffs, and they look fantastic with the offense catching up to their historically good defense.

So let's get everyone oriented to the Valkyries as a basketball team and culture. And here to do that, we're joined by Maya Goldberg, Safer journalist who covers the Golden State Valkyries and writes the newsletter WNBA Rough Notes. Welcome.

Maya Goldberg (1:20)

Hi, thank you for having me.

Alexis Madrigal (1:21)

We also have Andrea Fernandez, who's vice president of marketing for the Golden State Valkyries. Welcome.

Thank you for having me. So Maya, are the Valkyries that good? Like, do we have championship potential?

Maya Goldberg (1:35)

Yeah. The Valkyries, first of all, good morning, Valkyries fans.

This is looking like an exciting morning, in part because the playoffs this year are highly competitive, right? It is wide open. Last night, the number one seed, the Minnesota Lynx, were knocked out by the number eight seed, the New York Liberty, for the first time in WNBA history. And that is just, I think, reflecting the fact that this really is a wide open field. And the Valkyries have been overall gaining momentum going into this postseason. They are looking, they are playing together, they are locked in and their strengths as a team are really coming out. So I do think they have a real chance.

Alexis Madrigal (2:20)

Yeah, I mean, one of the things that really struck me kind of looking at all their stats and the way that they play, I mean, there are two things that really stood out. One is they spread the minutes around a lot, right?

They're not a team, you know, in the old Warriors days, they call the strength of numbers, you know, they play lots of players. And the other is they truly, and you link to it in your in your sub stack, they truly have like an amazing defense, like maybe the best in WNBA history.

Maya Goldberg (2:46)

Right. They have been the top defensive team in the league this year, which was a goal, as stated by Natalie Nakase, the head coach at the beginning of the year.

And I also think it's important to note that, well, yes, this franchise is only in its second year of existence. And so the fact that we're talking about a potential championship run is wild. Something that they did really intentionally was that they kept the majority of the roster together from the first year to the second year. So we're looking at a roster that has the most depth in the WNBA and also has this continuity from last season. And I think that's a big factor, too.

Alexis Madrigal (3:24)

But of course, they also added the right kind of superstar, right, in Gabby Williams.

Maya Goldberg (3:28)

Exactly. Gabby Williams, who partially grew up and played basketball here in the Bay.

Alexis Madrigal (3:33)

Oakland Bulldogs? Was that her team?

Maya Goldberg (3:35)

I think Alameda.

Alexis Madrigal (3:36)

Oh, yeah.

Maya Goldberg (3:37)

I think Alameda, repping the island, yeah.

And Mission Rec in San Francisco. But she has that Bay Area kid in her, which is an incredible fit. She understands the stakes for folks here in the Bay who haven't had a sustainable pro women's basketball team for decades. We've actually had in Northern California, three pro women's basketball teams that have all failed, dating all the way back to 1980, 1981 And what was that team? That was the San Francisco Pioneers. San Francisco Pioneers were the first pro women's basketball team here in the Bay. And they've been recognized by the Valkyries. There are players from that team who show up. Anna Johnson, one of the players from Oakland, sits front and center. So yeah, there's this, I mean, there's this historic continuity, even if there hasn't been a WNBA team here in San Francisco. There was once one in Sacramento, and I think-