The WNBA’s new Golden State franchise has found its identity.
The team will be known as the Golden State Valkyries, as the league’s first expansion team since 2008 revealed their name, brand and look on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. The Atlanta Dream was the last franchise to be added to the WNBA.
Valkyries is a name that comes from Norse mythology, and it fits perfectly with their affiliate team: the Golden State Warriors.
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A detail of the WNBA logo is seen on the basketball during opening tipoff between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The team’s press release said that in Norse mythology, Valkyries are “warrior women who are fearless and unwavering,” and that’s what they want to be on the court.
“This moment is so much bigger than Golden State. It’s so much bigger than the Valkyries,” Valkyries president Jess Smith told “GMA.” “What we are seeing happening in women’s sports right now is just the beginning of the sustainability and incredible growth around the game and to have expansion in the W.”
The Valkyries, though, won’t be kicking off their inaugural campaign on Tuesday like the rest of the league. They will begin in 2025 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
As for the team’s color scheme, “Valkyrie Violet” was chosen along with black. Valkryie Violet was chosen to symbolize “power, ambition, nobility and women’s empowerment.”
A detail of the WNBA logo is seen on a basketball during warmups between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Their logo has features that incorporate the iconic “Bay Bridge,” which connects Oakland and San Francisco. The team’s practice facility will be in Oakland, while they play their games in San Francisco, so having that connectivity was paramount for the franchise.
“The outer shape of the logo is a V, reinforcing the V in Valkyries while symbolizing the unity of a group of Valkyries in flight,” the press release read.
“When you think of the Bay Area, you think of the region that leads the world in innovative and progressive at the same time,” Smith continued. “And we think about what’s happening in women’s sports and being able to marry those together, it’s going to be really powerful. This ownership group likes to win in everything they do but with intention, and that’s how we’re going to build the Valkyries and build this brand.”
A detail view of the WNBA logo on a game ball used during a WNBA preseason game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun on May 10, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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To welcome the team to the Bay Area, a “Valkryie Block Party” will be thrown on May 18 at Thrive City, which is part of the Chase Center.
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