OAKLAND — Most of the Golden State Valkyries have never experienced the WNBA Finals.
Whether on the roster, coaching staff, in the front office or otherwise across the organization – and certainly for the fans – the Finals will be a new experience for much of Ballhalla after Golden State completed its three-game semifinals sweep of the Las Vegas Aces on Friday.
A weekend of celebration, rest and recovery ended Monday as Golden State reconvened in Oakland to chart a course for its championship series with the Atlanta Dream.
As they turn the page to the Finals after the watershed victory in Vegas and prepare for Game 1 Saturday afternoon at Chase Center, the second-year Valkyries aren’t entirely bereft of championship experience.
So the Valkyries are leaning on those who have been there before.
“It’s definitely a different feeling, being in the Finals,” said reserve guard Tiffany Hayes, who was drafted by the Dream in 2012 and made the Finals with Atlanta in 2013. “At the end of the day, this is another team we’re trying to get past. So I’m just focused on whatever we need to do to do that.”
Forward Kayla Thornton is the longest-tenured Valkyries player with recent championship experience, having won the 2024 title with the New York Liberty. She was a bench player on that team and is a key starter for Golden State.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 24: Kayla Thornton #5 of the Golden State Valkyries reacts to a call during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena on September 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Leading an expansion franchise to the Finals is a different challenge.
For Thornton, who was plucked from New York in the 2025 expansion draft, it’s been a special experience for a team largely comprised of castoffs from other organizations and a few key free agent signings.
“A lot of us bounced around. That’s what makes it special,” Thornton said. “We all have a special story of where we came from, and a lot of us have been told no. A lot of us have been denied.
“But when you bring this group together, we create something big, and we’re selfless. We do it for each other because we know what we’ve been through.”
Point guard Veronica Burton is one of those castoffs, making the WNBA semifinals with the Connecticut Sun and in a reserve role in 2024 and six months later was plucked by the Valkyries in the expansion draft. She understands the magnitude of the stage the Valkyries will be ascending, but she didn’t seem fazed by the challenge.
“Any chance you get to compete for a championship is a big deal, and we don’t take that lightly,” Burton said. “We talk about the championship experience and the playoff experience, and where our vets are really pouring into people and setting the tone and what we need to be doing and what our habits look like.”
Burton singled out Kiah Stokes, who won championships with Las Vegas in 2022, 2023, 2025, as a key voice the Valkyries are leaning on. Stokes, who missed practice Monday for a rest day, was instrumental in neutralizing Aces star A’ja Wilson in Golden State’s semifinal sweep
“The cool thing about our team is that everyone has a voice and everyone listens to one another,” Burton said. “And their respect is huge, so we really rely on them.”
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was there for Vegas’ title runs in 2022 and 2023 as an assistant on Becky Hammon’s staff. After knocking the Aces out to reach her first Finals in the head chair, Nakase has shifted her focus to finishing off Golden State’s historic run with a title.
“We know what’s at stake,” Nakase said. “We’ve been together for six months. I don’t have to let them know. But for us, it’s the game plan. They love game-planning. They love information. Our players thrive on that, so that’s really cool. We have a lot of days to prepare. When we’re tight with our game plan and we’re focused, we’re really good in terms of executing.”
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