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.

While the Golden State Warriors' regular season is wrapped up, Friday marked the start of a new hoops campaign at San Francisco's Chase Center. In front of a packed house, the Bay Area welcomed the Golden State Valkyries to the WNBA.

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

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.

The fans in the packed arena were decked out in matching purple T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “First of a Lifetime.”

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase says her rookies, Janelle Salaün and Carla Leite, are doing n incredible job so far.