A newcomer's guide to Valkyries fandom - from Ballhalla to ‘for the gays!'

Drew Rasmussen starting Game 5

NFL trade deadline proposals

WNBA Finals schedule fiasco

Anthony Edwards injury impact

Week 8 fantasy trade tips

A newcomer's guide to Valkyries fandom - from Ballhalla to ‘for the gays!'

Golden State Valkyries fans cheer on Game 5 of the 2026 WNBA Finals at Chase Center Monday night. (Clara Shuku Mokri/For the S.F. Chronicle)

Wed, October 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC·

'Call in sick': Valkyries rally fans for WNBA Finals Game 6 despite early tipoff

After winning Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, Veronica Burton rallied Golden State Valkyries fans to support the team in an early Game 6 tipoff.

Valkyries’ ‘defense wins championships’ mantra in full effect, dominating Dream in WNBA Finals Game 5

SAN FRANCISCO – It was ugly. It was muddy. And it felt like the backboard might shatter from all the bricks being chucked its way. But that’s exactly where the Golden State Valkyries like to live. Because when rocks are flying, and bodies are falling, all the Valkyries are thinking about is how to make their opponents even more miserable– how to […] The post Valkyries’ ‘defense wins championships’ mantra in full effect, dominating Dream in WNBA Finals Game 5 appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Valkyries one win away from WNBA title with Game 6 matinee in Atlanta next

That crazed, violet-clad “Ballhalla” home crowd roared at every chance — watching the Golden State Valkyries move one win away from a championship in their second season.

Zendaya Shares Special Moment With Gabby Williams & Co. as Bay Area Native Watches Valkyries Move One Win Away From Championship

The Golden State Valkyries are on the cusp of writing basketball history. In just their second year of existence, the franchise is now one win away from capturing its first-ever WNBA championship after a gritty 64-55 victory in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday sent celebrities and fans into a frenzy.

Zendaya shows out for hometown Valkyries during WNBA Finals

Zendaya is back in the Bay Area and is in full sports mode. Over the weekend, the A-list Hollywood actress attended her nephew’s football game at Folsom. On Monday, she...

Valkyries one win from WNBA crown after shutting down Dream in Game 5

The Valkyries are one win away from a WNBA championship. Golden State took care of business against the Dream in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals with a 64-55 victory...

Valkyries star Kiah Stokes gets 100% real about finishing WNBA Finals away from ‘Ballhalla’

Kiah Stokes loves playing in front of the home crowd at “Ballhalla,” but the Golden State Valkyries center has no interest in returning there before the WNBA Finals are over. After the Valkyries took a 3-2 series lead over the Atlanta Dream with a 64-55 win in Game 5 on Monday night at Chase Center, Stokes made it clear she wants to close things […] The post Valkyries star Kiah Stokes gets 100% real about finishing WNBA Finals away from ‘Ballhalla’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.

‘Strength in numbers’ has Valkyries one win from WNBA title

The Valkyries are just one win away from a WNBA championship after their Game 5 win against the Dream. Can their depth be the difference on Thursday?

What is a valkyrie? The history behind the WNBA team nickname

The Golden State Valkyries are nearing a WNBA title. Here is the history and meaning behind the team's unique name.

Valkyries Fans Send Message Over WNBA Finals Game 6 Tip Time

A Chase Center sign called for the Hawks game to move as WNBA Finals Game 6 was set for 12:30 p.m. ET, or 9:30 a.m. in the Bay Area.

Natalie Nakase responds to Valkyries being shut out of All-WNBA honors

If Natalie Nakase is losing sleep over the Valkyries missing out on the All-WNBA honors, she certainly isn’t showing it. Plenty of critics wrote off the Valkyries as a nice little regular-season story after they locked up the two seed at 32-12.

Valkyries push Dream to the brink, move one win away from WNBA title

Kiah Stokes had 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 to take 3-2 lead in the WNBA Finals.

Zendaya, Valkyries players share euphoric moment after WNBA Finals Game 5 win

The stars were out in the Bay Area as the home team moved one step closer to a title.

For Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, WNBA Finals don’t need to bring her joy, just winning

SAN FRANCISCO — Through five games of the WNBA Finals, the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream have treated fans to 200 minutes of grinding and grating basketball, sometimes, agonizingly so. Only twice through these games has either team shot better than 35 percent (and that was not in the same game). They’ve averaged a turnover every minute and a half of play and a foul almost every minute. The fans have learned they can’t just cheer for the SportsCenter-type highlights in these games. Sha

WNBA fans react to Zendaya supporting Golden State Valkyries in Game 5 of finals

The NBA Finals in 2026 with the New York Knicks had tons of celebrities in attendance. The WNBA Finals have been holding their own on that front too, and one actress had fans excited.

Tiffany Hayes’ simple message after Valkyries’ Game 5 win will have fans hyped

The Golden State Valkyries seized control of the WNBA Finals after beating the Atlanta Dream, 64-55, in Game 5 at Chase Center on Monday. The Valkyries, who have won back-to-back meetings, grabbed the lead, 3-2, in the best-of-seven series. The low-scoring affair worked in Golden State’s favor. Atlanta was held to just 29% from the field. Veronica […] The post Tiffany Hayes’ simple message after Valkyries’ Game 5 win will have fans hyped appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Natalie Nakase issues stern reminder to Valkyries after WNBA Finals Game 5 win

The Golden State Valkyries are just a win away from a historic title after beating the Atlanta Dream, 64-55, in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center on Monday. The Valkyries clamped down on defense , limiting the Dream to only 27% from the field. While it was not pretty, Golden State proved it can gut it out in a low-scoring tussle. However, […] The post Natalie Nakase issues stern reminder to Valkyries after WNBA Finals Game 5 win appeared first on ClutchPoints.

“Don’t Feed Into Attention”: Natalie Nakase Addresses Valkyries’ All-WNBA Snub Ahead of Game 5 Of the Finals

One would expect a team in the 2026 WNBA Finals to have a couple of players on the All-WNBA First Team, right? Or at least on the Second Team? As it turns out, we would be wrong: not one name from the Golden State Valkyries squad appeared on either All-WNBA team list. No, not even franchise cornerstone Gabby Williams.

Zendaya,Valkyries share moment after Golden State inches toward WNBA title

Zendaya went all out for the Valkyries during Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. The actor was in attendance for the highly touted matchup with her niece and made sure...

‘Blue-collar hoops’: Kiah Stokes has Valkyries on brink of WNBA title

Kiah Stokes’ “blue-collar hoops” have become a driving force for the Golden State Valkyries, who are one win away from a WNBA championship.