A few days after an announcement that Toronto would be welcoming a WNBA team, the league announced the arrival of another team — the Golden State Valkyries.
Per a team release, the team name originates from Norse mythology and refers to a “host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering — flying through air and sea alike.”
“It feels like we’ve arrived,” Valkyries president Jess Smith told ESPN. “As much as I’ve loved saying ‘WNBA Golden State,’ that was a placeholder, and this is who we are. To be able to put that stake in the ground and begin building the brand equity and begin bringing our community together around this, it’s a really special moment.”
“The beautiful thing about Valkyries is that it’s plural and it’s together,” Smith said. “We need everybody — the on-court visual representation of these athletes coming together in games, but how we win together, with partners and fans and broadcast and league and everyone else by our side, is really where the real impact will be. We hope that being a Valkyrie, and for folks to kind of find their inner Valkyrie and where they’re going to be a piece of that puzzle, becomes a big piece of what makes this strong.”
The team’s primary color is “Valkyrie Violet.” The logo is shaped like a V and also depicts the Bay Bridge — much like the Golden State Warriors logo. A sword and wings can be seen when looking at the bridge tower in the logo, and the 13 lines at the top of the tower represent Golden State becoming the WNBA’s 13th team.
“We wanted to be inclusive of that Golden State name,” Smith said. “We want to be inclusive of all women’s sports, for people to know that we are a pillar of the strength of where this is going and how we can build and bring people together. But most importantly, we want to build a brand that is incredibly inclusive and one that people like to be a part of because of what it means through the strength of Golden State and the Valkyries. So we feel like every decision that we made along the way allowed us to nod to all of those audiences.”
The Golden State Valkyries will begin competition in the 2025 WNBA season.
