Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton dribbles around the Seattle Storm’s Lexie Brown in the first quarter of Golden State’s lone preseason game Saturday at Chase Center. The game marked Thornton’s return to the court after a knee injury in July ended her breakout season.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
Golden State Valkyries Kayla Thornton is seen during team practice and media availability at Chase Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in San Francisco
Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle
Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) practices free throws during warmups prior to competing against the Seattle Storm during a preseason game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, April 25, 2026. The Valkyries are entering their second WNBA season.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
Clunkiness was expected in Kayla Thornton’s return to the court Saturday after nine months away in the Golden State Valkyries’ one and only preseason game against the Seattle Storm.
One play might’ve shown that the All-Star can pick up right where she left off when a torn meniscus cut off her breakout 2025 season.
The first-quarter play saw Veronica Burton intercept a Storm pass attempt, then find Thornton sprinting in transition. Thornton, 33, took the fastbreak pass and absorbed a ton of contact while draining a left-handed layup.
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“It felt like I didn’t miss a beat,” Thornton said after the Valkyries’ practice on Wednesday. “But of course, I still kind of need to fix things.”
Those fixes primarily have to do with shaking off any rust that might’ve accumulated since Thornton underwent surgery to repair her meniscus torn during an All-Star break practice in July. Progress may mostly need to happen during the season, which begins next weekend on May 8 against the Storm in Seattle.
Thornton isn’t worried about getting up to speed. Instead, she’s reflective of how much the first major injury in her 10-year career has changed her.
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Adding to the devastation is that it happened during the best season of her life; the forward was blazing the Valkyries a trail to the playoffs in their inaugural season, averaging a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 36% from the field.
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The injury happened days after her first All-Star selection. Instead of letting devastation consume her, she leaned into the peace.
A forced pause in her nonstop career in which she filled almost every day with basketball between WNBA and playing overseas.
“It made me slow down,” she said. “I would have kept going and going and never had time to sit down and do the small things. … It took me a while to understand it, but it was a blessing because I was able to slow down a little bit.”
Thornton spent time back home in El Paso, Texas, and started the Kairos Foundation, meant to serve and mentor young people in education, sports and community service. In the Bay Area, Thornton also visited children’s hospitals to hand out gifts during the holidays.
To a basketball lifer, “it sucked to be out and not playing, but it felt nice to touch other things in my life, off the court,” she said.
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That touch of reality gave Thornton the perspective she needed heading into her second year as a Valkyries leader.
“I learned patience,” Thornton said. “I learned it’s OK to not be OK. I’ve learned grace. I’ve learned that things happen and you have to keep moving forward, but most importantly just patience. It’s a long season and it’s going to come. I’ve been very calm with myself. I am very competitive, so I just learned, ‘KT, it’s going to be OK.’”
Thornton’s absence didn’t stop the Valkyries from developing their promising core, and this offseason they signed two-way star forward Gabby Williams to pair with Thornton in the frontcourt.
This team is something to fear with Thornton healthy. Her superpower is being an instinctive player who can fill every need — defend any position, make the hustle play, keep the pace and score as needed. Her goal, once the rust is shaken, is to get even better at it all.
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“Each year I try to add more to my game, so that’s what I’m trying to do,” she said. “Getting back to the little things that made me great and unique.”