Valkyries excite, but drop franchise opener

A new journey begins.

The biggest story of the 2025 WNBA season, which got underway on Friday night, is the debut of the newest team in the league, the expansion Golden State Valkyries. And the biggest transaction of the offseason was the trade that sent three-time All-Star and two-time champion Kelsey Plum from the Las Vegas Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks.

On Friday at the Chase Center, the latter got the better of the former. The Valkyries played the first game in what I can only assume will be a long and illustrious history, but a superstar showing by Plum was too much for them to handle, with Los Angeles winning 84-67 in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,064, which included Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Warriors players Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Kevon Looney, and Buddy Hield, and Joe Lacob, the owner of both franchises.

Things started very well for the Valkyries. Kayla Thornton scored on the team’s very first possession, netting the first points in franchise history. Their ball movement early was fantastic, but not as fantastic as their defense, which went nearly three minutes before allowing a point.

Still, even with the offense looking pretty, Golden State’s lack of star power — befitting an expansion team — was on display, as they were struggling to put up points even as they got good looks. But they found a workaround, using defense to create offense time and time again, and they led 20-19 after the opening 10 minutes.

There was a stain on the first quarter, though, as Sparks forward Rae Burrell suffered a non-contact leg injury less than a minute into her season, and had to be carried off the court when she couldn’t put any weight on her leg. It didn’t look good, but hopefully she’s okay.

The second quarter was fun. Julie Vanloo, who played 27 minutes off the bench, didn’t need much time at all to become a fan favorite, as she was balling out with highlight plays dribbling, passing, and shooting. Yet even as the Valkyries racked up the highlights, the Sparks started to roll, and built up a bit of a lead. But Golden State answered with a nice rally near the end of the quarter as their defense locked down. They trailed just 42-39 at halftime.

But the third quarter brought about a sensational individual performance. Plum thoroughly dominated, scoring in every manner, and from every area on the floor. She single-handedly stole the momentum from the Chase Center as she dropped in 17 points in the frame, while also playing strong defense and dishing the rock. Her takeover pushed the Sparks’ lead to 15 points, and it looked like a blowout was about to ensue.

But Vanloo had other plans. With a knack for the dramatic, Vanloo, staring down a 15-point deficit, nailed a three. Seconds later, Temi Fágbénlé stole the ball from Plum, and pushed the ball up to Vanloo, who pulled up in transition for a deep three that sent the arena into a frenzy, and forced Los Angeles to call a timeout.

And out of the timeout? The Valkyries forced another Plum turnover, which led to a truly absurd off-balance three from Vanloo. That one-player 9-0 run brought life to the team and into the building, but Golden State couldn’t capitalize on it. They stayed close for the rest of the quarter, trailing just 66-60 going into the fourth, but fully ran out of steam for the final frame.

The Valkyries simply had no offense in the fourth. They were getting sloppy and losing their legs on shots. Every possession seemed to end in a bricked jumper or a turnover, and the Sparks — again led by Plum — kept turning Golden State mistakes into offense.

Los Angeles pushed the lead further and further, until the game was officially out of hand. The Valkyries were held to just seven points in the quarter, as the Sparks turned a close game into an 84-67 blowout.

While Vanloo set the crowd on fire with her 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting (including 4-for-10 from deep), it was the veteran Fágbénlé who was the Valkyries best player. The center, who was drafted in 2016 but is playing in just her fifth WNBA season, shot a brilliant 6-for-8 from the field en route to 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, with big play after big play. Tiffany Hayes, a former All-Star and All-WNBA selection playing in her 13th season was also fantastic, and showed that she’ll be the focal point of the offense this year, shooting 7-for-16 from the field and finishing with a team-high 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

But Plum stole the show on opening night, dropping in 37 points on 11-for-19 shooting (including 4-for-6 on threes and 11-for-11 on free throws), with two rebounds, six assists, and five steals. It was a true superstar showing from a player who is embracing getting to be the best player on her team after a long career on the Las Vegas superteam.

It may have ended in a loss, but it was still a fun, exciting, and ultimately successful franchise debut for the Valkyries. They’ll look for the first win in franchise history on Wednesday, when they host the Washington Mystics at 7:00 p.m. PT.