Expansion Valkyries make history with WNBA opener at Chase Center

SAN FRANCISCO Violet shirts adorned every seat with the script First of a Lifetime Before long they were filled as the Golden State Valkyries tipped off against the L A Sparks and the WNBA had officially come to the Bay Area We ve been talking about this day for awhile Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase announced in her pregame press conference Had this day marked circled highlighted We re ready The Valkyries were broadcasted as the WNBA s th franchise on Oct the first expansion band in the league since the Atlanta Dream in Season ticket sales have already exceeded which makes the Valkyries the first to hit that milestone They exceeded season ticket deposits in July and are now past an industry standard Fans were allowed in at 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 season after playing two years Their first home exhibition encounter on May drew in an - loss to the Sparks I was here at the first preseason challenge and it was emotional to see everything happening Reddick commented It s weird because it s not that Warrior blue but it s something that s still ours We re able to take ownership of it as fans and it s so exciting A basketball player in middle school Reddick looked around the arena and took in the magnitude of the moment I didn t think it would get to the level it is in the present day and to have the impact on girls with college basketball in general and now the WNBA it s not something we ever expected but I m glad to see it happen Reddick stated Reddick s aunt Elisha Reddick has invariably been a basketball fan but I inevitably wondered why women can t have teams That was back in the s Jenny Quintal of San Francisco seated with her daughters aged and is a season-ticket holder along with her husband and only in recent days got hooked on the women s tournament If it wasn t for my daughters I wouldn t be here Quintal disclosed Astrie Martinez wearing a sequined purple Valkyries jacket lives on the Peninsula and right away went on the list for season tickets I m so glad this is happening now Martinez noted I see so multiple little girls here and that s the coolest thing Richard Martinez of Daly City saw the exhibition games in which the Valkyries went - against the Phoenix Mercury and the Sparks and isn t convinced the exhibition status will relegate the new squad to the lower division I like the whole spirit that the women have Gonzalez commented Hopefully in the near future they can expand more There are quality players here and they ve got experienced players I m sure selected of the players they cut they wished to keep Commemorative T-shirts were draped over every seat for the Valkyries WNBA debut Friday night at Chase Center Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts starred at Enterprise High in Redding as well as Seattle Pacific before moving up the coaching ladder starting at Chico State She was mentored by former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and as a Northern California native felt at home I was raised on the ers and the Giants and the Warriors so it feels very settled to be back here Roberts revealed But what a day for women s college basketball and this expansion association We were here for a preseason match and the crowd was impressive It s a cool day for our sport and they seem to already have it kind of going here Nakase could feel the intensity swelling in the Bay Area during the exhibition games and the run-up to the season Related Articles Bay Area vs L A Valkyries Sparks to ignite California rivalry on WNBA s opening night How Valkyries Nakase rose from coaching depths to make Asian-American history How to watch the Valkyries season opener against the Sparks Golden State Valkyries finalize their roster Here s who made the WNBA squad Valkyries erase double-digit deficit close preseason with win over Phoenix Mercury I mean when we re down by they still have our backs Nakase revealed That s the kind of fan base we want someone that is going to assistance us when we re down and when we re up to start screaming again They are definitely part of us Nakase even got to shadow Warriors coach Steve Kerr for two days during the NBA playoffs to pick up a minimal pointers He sat me down and before I could even ask a question had ideas and advice for a first-time head coach Nakase noted What I learned from Steve was to perpetually be yourself His way of communicating to me to his players is second to none Steve has so much experience and hopefully I ll get just one percent of his knowledge Nakase was too much in the moment to dwell on the historical significance I think once I go through the full season I think that will be history Nakase commented