Attention, WNBA fans: The Golden State has entered the chat. On Tuesday (May 14), Golden State took to social media to announce its name and identity: the Valkyries. “This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce,” reads the team’s official press release.
The Valkyries released a video and an additional post showing off their new aesthetic and the inspiration behind their Norse mythology-inspired name. To bring a sense of Bay Area flare to their big announcement, the Valkyries enlisted Kehlani to narrate the 59-second clip. Interestingly enough, the intro to the video is reminiscent of the cover artwork for the singer‘s 2014 debut mixtape, Cloud 19, and her 2015 work You Should Be Here. “Born from the Bay, gilded in gold,” they can be heard saying in the video. “This is where legends take flight, but our story has yet to be written.”
Visuals show off aerial views of the city as seen from the eyes of a Norse woman warrior. The video then concludes with three Valkyries brandishing swords as the call to arms, “Join the Ascent,” appears on the screen. As for the team’s colors, the new WNBA squad boasts a lavender-like purple with a Black accent. According to the press release, “Valkyrie Purple” represents “power, ambition, nobility, and women’s empowerment, much like purple has been used symbolically in modern history.”
The logo depicts the Bay Bridge front and center and serves as a call to the team’s “cross-bay roots.” Its V-shape signifies “the unity of a group of Valkyries in flight, and standing for victory,” and the bridge tower doubles as both a sword and wings.
Valkyries president Jess Smith gave ESPN an exclusive quote detailing the journey of the new WNBA team. Smith expressed excitement for the big announcement and explained how the brand connects to the legacy of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
“It feels like we’ve arrived. As much as I’ve loved saying ‘WNBA Golden State,’ that was a placeholder, and this is who we are,” she stated. “To be able to put that stake in the ground and begin building the brand equity and begin bringing our community together around this, it’s a really special moment.”
“We wanted to be inclusive of that Golden State name,” Smith added. “We want to be inclusive of all women’s sports, for people to know that we are a pillar of the strength of where this is going and how we can build and bring people together. But most importantly, we want to build a brand that is incredibly inclusive and one that people like to be a part of because of what it means through the strength of Golden State and the Valkyries. So we feel like every decision that we made along the way allowed us to nod to all of those audiences.”
The team is set to hit the court in the 2025/26 WNBA season.