WNBA's Golden State Valkyries Unveil Name and Logo in Epic Video Narrated by Kehlani

The upcoming WNBA expansion franchise based in San Francisco announced Tuesday that it will be known as the Golden State Valkyries.

The team name and logo were revealed in a video posted on X, which was narrated by signer-songwriter Kehlani, who was born in Oakland, California:

Owned by Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, the Valkyries will begin play in the WNBA in 2025.

In September 2023, it was officially announced that Golden State would enter the WNBA in 2025, making it the league's first expansion franchise since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.

The team will play its home games at the Warriors' Chase Center, and it will be the first WNBA franchise based in Northern California since the Sacramento Monarchs folded in 2009.

Valkyrie is a term used in Norse mythology to describe female figures who guided slain warriors from the battlefield to Valhalla, which was viewed as a heaven-like place by the Norse.

Given that Golden State's NBA team is named the Warriors, the Valkyries ties in perfectly with the WNBA franchise's NBA partner.

The Valkyries will be the WNBA's 13th franchise when they officially join the league as part of the 2025 WNBA draft and then the 2025 WNBA season.

The league is then slated to expand again to 14 teams in 2026 with the addition of a Toronto-based franchise.

CBC's Shireen Ahmed reported last week that the WNBA awarded Toronto an expansion team, making it the first WNBA franchise to be located outside the United States.