Golden State Valkyries Legends

Last Updated on March 15, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

The honest version is that the Golden State Valkyries do not really have true franchise legends yet. They are an expansion team that began play in 2025, so the history is still being written. That said, if you want a page in the same format as the others, the best way to handle it is to frame it around the first players and figures who have the strongest early claim to becoming Valkyries legends rather than pretending the franchise already has a long all-time canon. The Valkyries were awarded in October 2023, began building through the December 2024 expansion draft, then started play in 2025. (wnba.com)

1. Veronica Burton

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Guard
Notable achievements:
- 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player
- First major individual award winner in franchise history
- Statistical leader of the inaugural team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks

If anyone has the strongest early case, it is Veronica Burton. In a brand-new franchise, firsts carry extra weight, and she piled up a lot of them. The Valkyries’ official milestone tracker says Burton became the first Most Improved Player in franchise history, while the team’s 2025 wrap-up listed her as the club leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. For a team with only one season of history, that is about as close to a foundational legend case as you can get. (valkyries.wnba.com)

2. Natalie Nakase

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Head coach
Notable achievements:
- Led the inaugural team
- 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year
- Guided the franchise to a historic first season

Normally this list is for players, but Nakase deserves inclusion because early franchise history is not always just about scorers and stat leaders. The Valkyries’ milestone page identifies her as the 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year, and official coverage also said Golden State became the first expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in its inaugural season. When a coach sets the tone for that kind of launch, she becomes part of the franchise story immediately. (valkyries.wnba.com)

3. Kayla Thornton

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Forward
Notable achievements:
- Expansion draft selection
- Core veteran of the inaugural team
- Top early franchise contributor in scoring and rebounding

Thornton feels like one of those players people will remember when they think back on the first Valkyries team. She was one of the headline selections in the expansion draft, and by the end of the inaugural season she ranked near the top of the team in both points and rebounds. Players like this matter in expansion years because they help give the team a personality before it has any history to lean on. (wnba.com)

4. Temi Fágbénlé

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Center
Notable achievements:
- Inaugural roster member
- One of the team’s top rebounders and interior contributors
- Key frontcourt piece in year one

Fágbénlé has a real early claim because she was one of the main interior anchors on the first roster. The Valkyries’ final roster announcement confirmed her place on the inaugural team, and the 2025 wrap-up showed her right near the top of the team in rebounds, minutes, assists, steals and blocks. That kind of across-the-board presence usually makes a player memorable in a franchise’s opening chapter. (valkyries.wnba.com)

5. Janelle Salaün

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Forward
Notable achievements:
- Inaugural roster member
- One of the top scorers and rebounders on the first team
- Significant minutes load in the expansion season

Salaün belongs high on any early Valkyries list because she was one of the players most heavily used in the inaugural season. The team’s 2025 statistical wrap-up placed her near the top in minutes, points and rebounds, which is usually a pretty good sign of who mattered most in a first-year setup. She may not have the same headline award as Burton, but her footprint on the season was still large. (valkyries.wnba.com)

6. Tiffany Hayes

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Guard
Notable achievements:
- Inaugural roster member
- Veteran backcourt presence
- Top-five contributor in minutes, points and assists on the first roster

Hayes makes sense here because expansion teams need grown-up players who can stabilise the group, and she was one of those. The Valkyries’ official roster announcement placed her on the first team, and their season wrap-up later showed her among the leaders in minutes, points and assists. Those are the kinds of players fans remember when a franchise is just getting started. (valkyries.wnba.com)

7. Kate Martin

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Guard/Forward
Notable achievements:
- Expansion draft selection
- Inaugural roster member
- One of the more recognisable first-generation Valkyries players

Martin’s case is partly about profile and partly about timing. She was one of the more talked-about selections in the expansion draft coverage and later made the final inaugural roster. For a team at this stage, recognisable first-wave players often become part of the emotional memory of the franchise even before they build a long résumé. (wnba.com)

8. Cecilia Zandalasini

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Forward
Notable achievements:
- Expansion draft selection
- Inaugural roster member
- Part of the original group that gave the franchise its first identity

Zandalasini belongs in the conversation because she was there at the start. The expansion draft coverage specifically named her among the highlighted selections, and she later made the inaugural final roster. For an expansion team, simply being part of that first meaningful group carries weight. Those names tend to stay attached to the franchise’s origin story. (wnba.com)

9. Carla Leite

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Guard
Notable achievements:
- Inaugural roster member
- Top-five team contributor in assists and steals during the first season

Leite gets a spot because the first-year numbers show she was part of the team’s main rotation. The Valkyries’ 2025 wrap-up listed her among the leaders in assists and steals, and that is enough to put her in an early franchise snapshot like this. She is not a legend in the traditional sense yet, but she has a place in the first chapter. (valkyries.wnba.com)

10. Monique Billings

Years with Golden State Valkyries: 2025
Position: Forward/Center
Notable achievements:
- Inaugural roster member
- One of the team’s early leaders in blocked shots

Billings rounds out the list because early franchise history is often about who helped give a team shape, not just who won awards. The official season wrap-up listed her among the leaders in blocks, and she was part of the inaugural roster from the start. That gives her at least a reasonable claim to being one of the notable first Valkyries. (valkyries.wnba.com)

Honorable mentions

Stephanie Talbot
Julie Vanloo
Kyara Linskens
Laeticia Amihere

At this point, the more honest label is probably “notable inaugural Valkyries” rather than full legends. The franchise has only one completed season, even if that first year was already historic because Golden State made the playoffs as an expansion team and set a WNBA attendance record in 2025. (valkyries.wnba.com)

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