Tiffany Hayes intended to retire from the WNBA three years ago, but the veteran guard still hasn’t hung up her sneakers.
Hayes, 36, has re-signed with the Golden State Valkyries with a one-year deal, the team announced Saturday morning. The Valkyries returned Hayes to the fold during a busy week that included the re-signing All-Star Kayla Thornton to a one-year contract, bringing back starting point guard Veronica Burton on a multi-year deal, and making a draft-night deal to acquire the signing rights to Marta Suarez from Seattle for the rights to former LSU star Flau’jae Johnson.
The 13-year veteran joined the expansion Valkyries last season and ranked third on the team with 11.7 points per game. Hayes tied her career highs with 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
“Tip helped lay the foundation on and off the court for this team, and that’s not something you take for granted,” Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said in a statement. “She’s an experienced leader and veteran player who showed up for the Bay. Being able to welcome Tip back to her second home is truly special.”
Golden State Valkyrie’s Tiffany Hayes (15) answers questions from the media during a season ending press conference held at the Sephora Performance Center in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. The Valkyries won 23 games during their inaugural 2025 season, setting a WNBA record for most wins by an expansion team and also clinching a playoff spot. Last night the Valkyries lost to the Minnesota Lynx 75-74 during Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs ending their season. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The former UConn star announced following the 2023 season she intended to retire after playing 10 seasons in the WNBA , primarily with the Atlanta Dream. But Hayes played for the Las Vegas Aces in 2024 and was named the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year. The 2017 WNBA All-Star joined Golden State last season to play for head coach Natalie Nakase, who had been an assistant on Becky Hammon’s staff with the Aces.
Hayes played in 26 games for Golden State last season, but missed the final eight regular-season games and the Valkyries’ playoff sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Lynx due to a knee injury she suffered when she collided with Mercury guard Kahleah Copper.
Last season, Hayes had 17 double-digit scoring games, including back-to-back 20-point games. The second-round pick in the 2012 draft is 31st on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list with 4,926 career points and is 59 points away from surpassing Hall of Famer Maya Moore for 30th all-time.
Hayes and Thornton were two of four unrestricted free agents the Valkyries had going into the offseason. Monique Billings has signed with the Indiana Fever, and Temi Fágbénlé signed with the expansion Toronto Tempo.
Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) shoots against Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
The Valkyries also have added 10-year veteran Kiah Stokes and defensive standout Gabby Williams on multi-year deals. They also previously announced they had re-signed center Iliana Rupert and forward Janelle Salaün to multi-year contracts, forward Cecilia Zandalasini to a one-year contract and that Justė Jocytė, the team’s top draft pick last year, had her rookie scale contract activated.
Golden State announced Saturday afternoon that training camp will open on Sunday at the Sephora Performance Center in Oakland. They will host the Seattle Storm in a preseason game April 25. The Valkyries open the regular season on May 8 at Seattle.
This is their training camp roster
# NAME POS HT EXP DOB SCHOOL COUNTRY
1 Gabby Williams* F 5-11 7 9/9/1996 Connecticut France/United States
2 Kaitlyn Chen G 5-9 1 2/22/2002 Connecticut United States
3 Laeticia Amihere F 6-3 3 7/10/2001 South Carolina Canada
4 Justė Jocytė* G/F 6-0 R 11/19/2005 Lithuania/United States
5 Kayla Thornton F 6-1 10 10/20/1992 Texas-El Paso United States
6 Kaila Charles* G/F 6-1 5 3/23/1998 Maryland United States
7 Miela Sowah G 5-10 R 6/4/2000 Duke Australia
9 Ashlon Jackson G 6-0 R 1/6/2004 Duke United States
12 Iliana Rupert* C 6-4 3 7/12/2001 Tango (France) France
13 Janelle Salaün* F 6-2 1 9/5/2001 France
15 Tiffany Hayes G 5-10 13 9/20/1989 Connecticut United States
20 Kate Martin G 6-0 2 6/5/2000 Iowa United States
22 Veronica Burton G 5-9 4 7/12/2000 Northwestern United States
23 Bailey Maupin G 5-10 R 10/6/2003 Texas Tech United States
24 Cecilia Zandalasini* F 6-2 4 3/16/1996 PF Schio (Italy) Italy
32 Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda G 6-2 R 11/24/2003 Vanderbilt United States
33 Caroline Ducharme G 6-2 R 11/9/2022 Connecticut United States
34 Mariella Fasoula C 6-4 R 9/2/1997 Vanderbilt Greece
35 Cate Reese F 6-2 R 11/5/1999 Arizona United States
41 Kiah Stokes C 6-3 10 3/30/1993 Connecticut United States
77 Marta Suárez F 6-3 R 5/7/2002 TCU Spain
* Kaila Charles, Justė Jocytė, Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaün, Gabby Williams and Cecilia Zandalasini will report to training camp following the conclusion of their international commitments.