We are back with more WNBA joy on Friday Funday as the Golden State Valkyries became just the second women’s expansion team to finish the season with a winning record—having secured a 23rd victory last night at home over Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. The only other team to do this? The 1998 Detroit Shock, who missed the four-team postseason with their 17-13 record, and the Shock are now … the Wings.

[That’s right; the WNBA is kind of funky that way. Detroit’s WNBA franchise went on to three league championships (2003, 2006, 2008) before relocating to Tulsa (2010-2015) and then ending up in Dallas. And now, the league is going to expand again while returning to Detroit. Go figure. Unlike the defunct Portland Fire, however, the original Shock still exist, so the new team will have to find a new nickname.]

The Valkyries will be in the 2025 postseason, however, as they also guaranteed themselves a playoff spot with the win last night. This makes them the first WNBA expansion team to achieve that accomplishment in the first season of existence. Our ongoing coverage has made clear that Head Coach Natalie Nakase and guard Veronica Burton are the primary reasons why the Golden State franchise has been so successful.

It’s ironic that the Wings were the victims, as the Valkyries were denied the top pick in the draft last spring, and they would have taken Bueckers. If that had been the case, who knows if Burton would have had her chance to shine as brightly as she has in 2025? Her 6.2 Win Shares currently rank seventh in the league, and Golden State would have been lost without her on the floor for so many minutes. Remember our prediction?

We were so wrong, and we are happy to have been so. And that’s where Nakase comes in: looking at the roster, it’s been the mess we expected it to be—save for Burton and the game-to-game asset/personnel management by the head coach and her staff. The veteran guard has played 320 more minutes this season than any of her teammates, and between injuries and international play, Nakase kept this team focused.

For context, again, sports mediots and sycophantic fans declared Caitlin Clark an MVP candidate for posting 3.0 Win Shares last year in 40 games for a .500 team; now, Burton has 6.2 Win Shares in 41 games for an expansion team with a winning record. It may be hard for the misinformed public to wrap their brains around that reality, but it’s factual and verifiable. That comes down to superior coaching and talent.

Period.

The future looks bright for the Valkyries, even if they get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs (opponent to be determined). If they can mimic the Shock’s rise to power from expansion team to league champs in a five-year progression, we feel the fans in Ballhalla will be quite happy. Of course, maybe it could happen earlier, although we don’t want to jump ahead of ourselves. One season at a time, right? Yes.