Golden State Valkyries: The WNBA's Hottest New Team Is Hunting a Playoff Spot
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The WNBA's newest franchise just proved its record-breaking rookie season was no fluke — and now it's racing the calendar for a playoff spot.
13-7 record, 3rd in the Western Conference entering the WNBA stretch run.
Yes — the Golden State Valkyries sit 3rd in the Western Conference at 13-7, putting the expansion team in genuine playoff position in just its second season.
The hype that followed the Golden State Valkyries' debut season has turned into something more tangible in 2026: a winning record. With a 13-7 mark that places them third in the Western Conference, the team that sold out every home game in its 2025 expansion year now has its sights set on much bigger prize — a postseason that would make them the fastest-rising story in the WNBA.
The Numbers Behind the Playoff Push
It's the kind of second-year leap that rarely happens in expansion sports. After leading the league in average attendance (18,064 per game) and selling out all 17 home dates in 2025, the Valkyries have converted that crowd energy into wins this season. The late-August schedule is loaded with Western Conference matchups that will directly shape the standings, with the playoffs looming at the end of September.
The Twist: The Underdog Behind the Histórico Run
None of this was assumed to be possible. The Valkyries were built through an expansion draft, not free agency — yet head coach Natalie Nakase, the first Asian American head coach in WNBA history, has turned the roster into one of the league's most efficient units. The Bay Area, still buzzing from a golden era of basketball, has embraced the team so completely that Chase Center has become one of the hardest tickets in the league, in any league.
What It Means for the WNBA's Playoff Picture
If the Valkyries hold on, a playoff berth in year two would be one of the fastest expansion-team rises in North American pro sports — and it would deepen an already historic era for women's basketball. For Bay Area fans, the formula is simple: sellout crowds, a rookie-of-the-league storyline brewing, and a stretch run that could turn August dates into September playoff games.
