In a party that spanned both sides of San Francisco Bay, the Golden State Valkyries celebrated their first WNBA championship Wednesday.
On the Oakland waterfront, the championship celebration began with a rally featuring Valkyries players, team ownership and Mayor Barbara Lee, who had won reelection on Tuesday.
“We’re in the midst of greatness. This championship has brought us phenomenal women who showed us. First, it was five years, they did it in two years,” Lee said, referring to team co-owner Joe Lacob’s promise to deliver a WNBA title to the Bay Area in half a decade.
Lacob said, “I never thought we could do that within two, we certainly we’re trying. But thanks to Ohemaa and Jess and Natalie and all these great players, we obviously did achieve the unthinkable.”
Coach Natalie Nakase credited the love the players had for each other and the team’s fanbase, which have transformed Chase Center into Ballhalla over the past two seasons.
“Love is the most powerful thing in the world, and these guys embody love. They care for each other. And to be honest, though, it did start in the very first game we had and it started with Ballhalla. You guys gave us that roar, that hostility, that care.”
Following the rally, the team boarded ferry boats and crossed San Francisco Bay for a parade along the Embarcadero.
In only their second season, the Valkyries won the WNBA championship, defeating the Atlanta Dream in seven games.