OAKLAND — While the gym emptied and footsteps faded toward the locker room after a long Monday afternoon practice, Kaitlyn Chen stayed rooted to the hardwood.
Chen joined starting Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton and coach Natalie Nakase on the far side of the practice facility as they gave the second-year floor general pointers.
Burton pointed, Nakase corrected and Chen absorbed. Eyes locked. Shoulders squared. Questions spilling faster than the answers could land.
The session stretched long enough that a cluster of reporters lingered awkwardly across the court, watching and waiting until it became clear Chen had forgotten about them entirely.
This was the work now. Not the spotlight. Not the roster math. Just the climb.
Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) runs drills during the team’s first day of training camp at the Sephora Performance Center in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
That’s what this training camp has become for Chen. Less about making a team and more about proving she belongs running one.
A year after bouncing from third-round pick to cut, then clawing her way back into a guaranteed role, Chen has returned sharper, steadier and unmistakably more in command.
Her second half against Seattle on Saturday felt like a quiet declaration. The handle is tighter, the pace more deliberate, the reads cleaner.
And for a Valkyries team searching for stability behind Burton, Chen has made her case to be on the team stronger as Golden State inches closer to making its roster final before the season opener against Seattle on May 8.
“Her leadership in terms of commanding and demanding on the court, it’s loud, it’s clear and it’s decisive. That’s what you want in a leader,” Nakase said. “She does a great job of tailoring everyone to their strengths and also supporting her teammates when she needs to. And then obviously her effectiveness in pick and roll. You can see how dangerous she is now, like she’s looking to either get to the rim, get to her floater, shoot a 3. She’s shooting at all three levels.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) and Golden State Valkyries’ Laeticia Amihere (3) celebrate during a preseason game against the Seattle Storm at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
After being selected in the third round of last year’s draft, Chen lasted all the way to the end of training camp but was eventually waived just before the start of the season.
She didn’t go far.
After a wave of injuries and EuroBasket departures depleted the Valkyries’ roster, Golden State signed Chen to a hardship contract. Chen made the most of her second chance, proving she could be a steady presence off the bench.
When injuries thinned the Valkyries’ backcourt, she was ready. Chen earned her way into games with steady, disciplined play: limiting turnovers, running the offense without disrupting its rhythm, and defending with the kind of effort that coaches notice even when the stat sheet doesn’t show it.
Chen’s solid play in the middle of the season forced Golden State to part ways with veteran point guard and fan favorite Julie Van Loo to make room for the then-rookie point guard.
Going into this year’s training camp, Chen faces a familiar predicament.
Golden State brought Chen back on a non-guaranteed training camp contract, meaning that she once again has to prove that she belongs. And with a roster crunch that is tighter than nearly every team in the league, Chen has a harder hill to climb than last year.
But this time, Chen didn’t spend the offseason expecting that her showing last year would land her a guaranteed spot on this year’s team.
Golden State Valkyries’ Miela Sowah (7) falls back on Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) after making a three-pointer in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
She went to work.
Chen headed overseas to the Czech Republic, where she spent the winter months sharpening the parts of her game that had carried her onto Golden State’s radar in the first place. Then she came back stateside and took command in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball league where she averaged 14.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game.
The reps accumulated. So did the confidence.
“Playing overseas in Prague was definitely a super fun experience, and to be able to play with (Janelle Salaün) there too was great,” Chen said. “And then playing at (Athletes Unlimited) I felt like I had a lot of freedom, and I was sort of able to just be myself out there.”
As her on-court skills developed, so did her leadership traits.
Nakase said what has most impressed her about Chen is her ability to be more of a vocal presence when she’s on the floor, even if it means barking back at Nakase when she thinks she’s wrong.
“Me and Kaitlyn got into it a little bit, which is fine just because we were both passionate about what we want to do in terms of winning,” Nakase said. “I love those conversations. I actually will probably create chaos myself just to see them in these internal battles with me, and I’m testing them.”
Golden State Valkyrie’s Kaitlyn Chen (2) chats with former NBA player Jeremy Lin after their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Washington Mystics 99-62. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
On Saturday, Chen’s improved skills were on full display.
She played 28 minutes – including every minute of the second half – scoring 11 points and dishing out three assists while recording a plus-minus rating of +7. Chen looked noticeably more comfortable handling the ball, not shying away from pressure and using an array of finishes once she got to the rim.
At one point in the second half, Chen tugged on her jersey to signal Nakase to give her a breather. Nakase, liking what she saw from the young point guard, told her no.
It was trust. Quietly given, loudly felt.
“We told the players ahead of time that (Veronica Burton) wasn’t going to play in the second half, so Kaitlyn had to take the whole second half,” Nakase said. “Her ability to push through – that’s what I like to see sometimes, especially when a player is really uncomfortable. How are they going to respond? … Her confidence, I think, grew at that point.”
Added Burton, “I know she had this in her last year too, but it’s her rookie season and there’s learning curves. This offseason, she’s been here getting better. I think she’s an offensive threat at all three levels. She’s very difficult to guard, and so I’m really excited about Kaitlyn, and I think she’ll have a lot to show this season.”
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (35) talks to Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) during their game against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Whether it translates into a guaranteed roster spot remains to be seen. Golden State’s roster crunch leaves little room for sentiment, and Chen knows better than anyone how quickly a training camp can turn. She’s lived that side of it already.
But a coach doesn’t ride a player through an entire second half — doesn’t wave off her request for rest, doesn’t trust her to run the show without a safety net — unless something real has been established.
Something beyond potential. Something that looks a lot like belief.
Chen will take it.
She tucked it away the same way she tucks everything away, filed alongside the extra sessions with Burton, the reps in Prague, the minutes logged in Athletes Unlimited. Another piece of evidence in the case she is quietly building for herself.
The roster math is still there. It always is.
But so is she.
Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) celebrates during a game against the Dallas Wings in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)