Wednesday, May 21 marked the first-ever win for the WNBA’s newest team, the Golden State Valkyries. Many more dubs are to come, but that inaugural one will always hit with extra sentimentality: The nascent franchise has the resources and market hype to become a competitor in due time.

The Golden State Valkyries are the WNBA's first expansion team since 2008. Here's everything you need to know.

The Golden State Valkyries are adding one more achievement to their already legendary first year. After becoming the 13th franchise in WNBA history and setting an attendance record in their first preseason game,

The matchup between the Valkyries and Sparks is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game will be broadcast on ION, but can also be streamed on WNBA League Pass.

Kaitlyn Chen, Laeticia Amihere, Migna Touré among notable players who did not make the WNBA expansion team’s roster

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest expansion team, just debuted this year. While their entry into the league proved exciting, the NBA 2K25 players can feel their absence from the game’s roster.

VanDerveer retired after the Cardinal’s Sweet 16 exit, and Iriafen returned home to Los Angeles, transferring to USC to join college basketball superstar Juju Watkins. She went on to earn all-Big Ten first-team honors this past season and helped lead the Trojans to an Elite Eight appearance.

Irvin and UTEP alum Kayla Thornton scored the first points in Golden State Valkyries history, seven months after she won WNBA title.