In their second year of competition, the Golden State Valkyries posted results — both in the standings and in revenue and attendance figures — that the franchise had not previously recorded. According to a Forbes valuation assessment, the WNBA's newest expansion franchise claimed the top spot in the league's franchise-worth rankings just as the organisation was gearing up to tip off its 30th season.
No expansion franchise had reached the postseason in its opening year until the Valkyries did so in 2025. Attendance across their home slate reached a league-record average of more than 18,000 spectators per match, with every scheduled home date drawing a capacity crowd.
Game 3 against the Dallas Wings ended with a comeback victory for the Valkyries on Friday, delivering the first postseason series win the franchise has recorded. A 16-point deficit proved no obstacle for Golden State, whose comeback effort produced a 77-73 victory over Dallas in the winner-take-all third game, with Gabby Williams contributing 19 points to the Valkyries' push.
With 13.1 seconds left on the clock and Golden State ahead by a single point, the contest arrived at the moment that would decide everything. A play that officials initially awarded to Dallas was overturned after Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase disputed the ruling, with video review confirming that Williams had jumped back into bounds to gather her own missed shot.
In the waning moments of the match, Nakase went to the court floor and needed assistance from a staff member to stand and walk away, while her teammates congregated at midcourt in celebration.
Ogunbowale's 30-point night included a leaning jumper with 3:13 remaining that pushed Dallas ahead by five, building on the 45 points she had posted two days earlier when the Wings took a home overtime victory. The bulk of Williams's point total — all but two — came together during the second half.
Burton put together a double-double on the night, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds while also distributing six assists. A Burton layup at the 8:19 mark trimmed Golden State's deficit to two points at 61-59, after which Williams converted a pair of three-pointers down the stretch of the third quarter, and the two players' combined efforts carried the Valkyries into a best-of-five semifinal matchup against Las Vegas Aces, the reigning WNBA champions.
Eighteen points from reserve duty went to Hayes's account, while a Charles three-pointer at the 6:51 mark drew the teams level, and Stokes gathered 13 boards across the contest. Seventeen points and six assists came from Bueckers in a Dallas uniform, though her field-goal shooting landed at just 3 of 14 attempts while she converted all ten free throws.
Before Sunday's home semifinal against defending champions Las Vegas Aces, Nakase called on her players to sustain effort across all four quarters — a standard the squad had already pledged to meet as a group heading into the postseason opener. A semifinal pairing between the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty is scheduled to take place on the Dream's home floor.
