VanDerveer retired after the Cardinal’s Sweet 16 exit, and Iriafen returned home to Los Angeles, transferring to USC to join college basketball superstar Juju Watkins. She went on to earn all-Big Ten first-team honors this past season and helped lead the Trojans to an Elite Eight appearance.

The Golden State Valkyries are adding one more achievement to their already legendary first year. After becoming the 13th franchise in WNBA history and setting an attendance record in their first preseason game,

WNBA action has officially hit the court at Chase Center. The Golden State Valkyries played their first game as a WNBA franchise Friday night in a 71-62 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. While it wasn't a winning effort, it was safe to say the crowd was entertained.

Fans were allowed in at 5:30, and Brie Reddick of San Bruno, adorned in her own Valkyries T-shirt, was among the first to absorb the scene and has been waiting for a Bay Area franchise since the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA folded following the 2009 season after playing two years.

It was a special moment.” .@julie35vanloo FEELING IT on opening night with 3 straight threes! pic.twitter.com/vKFqSnBMuw — Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) May 17, 2025 It didn’t matter that the Valkyries still trailed by six in the third quarter.

It’s been a fun start to the 2025 WNBA season, and yours truly has already hit five of six bets placed on the league heading into Wednesday’s three games slate.

With their first-ever win now in the record books, the Golden State Valkyries will go for their first-ever revenge victory when they face the Los Angeles Sparks in their first-ever WNBA road game Friday night.

Irvin and UTEP alum Kayla Thornton scored the first points in Golden State Valkyries history, seven months after she won WNBA title.