Golden State Valkyries 2025 WNBA Season Preview: TV Channel, Start Time, Schedule

The Golden State Valkyries begin their inaugural WNBA season. Can the team make an impact in its first year in the league?

A new era in the WNBA begins in the bay area this season. The Golden State Valkyries embark on their first season in the WNBA led by head coach Natalie Nakase. She leads a roster of veterans, young talent and an international flair unlike any team in league history. 

This is the first time the WNBA has introduced a new franchise to the league since 2008 when the Atlanta Dream entered the league. Golden State expands the league for the first time in 17 years bringing basketball to the Bay Area.

How to Watch Golden State Valkyries All Season Long

Golden State will be a fascination in its first season as an expansion team. The journey begins on Friday, May 16 against Cameron Brink and the Los Angeles Sparks on ION. After two games at home in the Chase Center to kick-off the seasonGolden State plays its first ever road game again on ION and again against Los Angeles. They will be featured on national television 14 times on FuboTV.

Live stream the 2025 Golden State Valkyries season on Fubo: Start with your free trial today!

2024 WNBA Season Recap

Golden State enters the WNBA and a Western Conference that features the runner-up Minnesota Lynx led by Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier and three-time MVP A’ja Wilson leading the Las Vegas Aces who won the 2022 and 2023 WNBA Championships. 

In the history of WNBA expansion no team has won more than 17 games. None of those teams have made the playoffs. Golden State has an uphill battle to contend in the deepest talent pool the WNBA has ever seen.

Golden State Valkyries 2025 Season Outlook/Stories To Watch

For the first time in 17 years there is a new team in the WNBA. That makes them the biggest story in the league heading into the 2025 season. Expansion teams bring a lot of excitement to the league despite not traditionally making an impact in the standings. Will Golden State attempt to break the expansion team record for wins (17) or focus on development and a high draft pick for next season?

Who is going to start for first year head coach Nakase? She has some veteran talent in Vanloo and Hayes for the backcourt as well as young talent in rookies Sellers and Chen along with third-year defensive specialist Burton. The front-court is even deeper with veterans in Thornton, Talbot, Fagbenle, Zandalasini and Billings.

Is Sellers a Rookie of the Year contender? While all the attention is on Paige Bueckers and the players selected at the top of the 2025 Draft, Sellers might have been selected into the perfect situation in the second round. Sellers finished her college career averaging 14.4 points and 4.1 assists per game on 40.8% shooting from three. There is an opportunity for Sellers to seize with her combination of size, scoring, playmaking, experience and a roster lacking all of the above.

How The Golden State Valkyries Built Their 2025 Roster

The first step in building out the inaugural roster for Golden State came on Dec. 7, 2024 in the expansion draft. Every team in the WNBA opened up their roster for Golden State to select players with six players protected from the expansion draft.

Golden State made its first official roster move by adding Monique Billings (Phoenix Mercury), Veronica Burton (Connecticut Sun), Maria Conde (Chicago Sky), Temi Fagbenle (Indiana Fever), Carla Leite (Dallas Wings), Kate Martin (Las Vegas Aces), Iliana Rupert (Atlanta Dream), Stephanie Talbot (Los Angeles Sparks), Kayla Thornton (New York Liberty), Julie Vanloo (Washington Mystics) and Cecilia Zandalasini (Minnesota Lynx).

Note: Conde and Rupert were not retained after the expansion draft

From there Golden State entered the 2025 WNBA Draft where it had the fifth pick in each of the three rounds. They came out of the draft with Juste Jocyte from France, Shyanne Sellers from Maryland and Kaitlyn Chen from NCAA Champions Connecticut.

Jocyte, 19, has played for her country since she was 14 years old and is a wildcard of a prospect. She might join the team this season or stay with ASVEL Lyon to continue her development.

Since the two drafts Golden State added Laeticia Amihere (South Carolina), Janelle Salaun (France), 2024 Sixth Player of the Year Award winner Tiffany Hayes, Migna Toure (France), Kyara Linskens (Belgium), Elissa Cunane (NC State) and Chloe Bibby (Maryland) to the roster in free agency.

That gives Golden State a total of 18 total players heading into camp and the preseason. Roster capacity for the 2025 season is 12 players, with the option of teams carrying just 11 players if necessary.

Golden State Valkyries 2025 Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (EST)	NETWORK
Fri, May 16	vs Sparks	10:00 PM	ION
Wed, May 21	vs Mystics	10:00 PM	—
Fri, May 23	at Sparks	10:00 PM	ION
Tue, May 27	at Liberty	7:00 PM	—
Thu, May 29	at Liberty	7:00 PM	—
Sun, Jun 01	vs Lynx	8:30 PM	—
Thu, Jun 05	at Mercury	10:00 PM	—
Sat, Jun 07	vs Aces	3:00 PM	ABC
Mon, Jun 09	at Sparks	10:00 PM	—
Sat, Jun 14	vs Storm	8:30 PM	—
Tue, Jun 17	at Wings	8:00 PM	—
Thu, Jun 19	vs Fever	10:00 PM	—
Sun, Jun 22	vs Sun	8:30 PM	—
Wed, Jun 25	vs Liberty	10:00 PM	—
Fri, Jun 27	vs Sky	10:00 PM	ION
Sun, Jun 29	vs Storm	8:30 PM	—
Sat, Jul 05	at Lynx	8:00 PM	—
Mon, Jul 07	at Dream	7:30 PM	—
Wed, Jul 09	at Fever	12:00 PM	NBA TV
Sat, Jul 12	at Aces	4:00 PM	CBS
Mon, Jul 14	vs Mercury	10:00 PM	—
Wed, Jul 16	at Storm	3:00 PM	—
Fri, Jul 25	vs Wings	10:00 PM	ION
Sun, Jul 27	at Sun	1:00 PM	CBS Sports Network
Tue, Jul 29	at Dream	7:30 PM	—
Thu, Jul 31	at Mystics	7:30 PM	—
Fri, Aug 01	at Sky	7:30 PM	ION
Sun, Aug 03	at Aces	6:00 PM	—
Wed, Aug 06	vs Aces	10:00 PM	NBA TV
Sat, Aug 09	vs Sparks	8:30 PM	—
Mon, Aug 11	vs Sun	10:00 PM	—
Wed, Aug 13	at Mystics	7:30 PM	—
Fri, Aug 15	at Sky	7:30 PM	ION
Sun, Aug 17	vs Dream	8:30 PM	NBA TV
Tue, Aug 19	vs Mercury	10:00 PM	—
Fri, Aug 22	at Mercury	10:00 PM	ION
Sun, Aug 24	at Wings	4:00 PM	—
Sat, Aug 30	vs Mystics	8:30 PM	—
Sun, Aug 31	vs Fever	8:30 PM	NBA TV
Tue, Sep 02	vs Liberty	10:00 PM	—
Thu, Sep 04	vs Wings	10:00 PM	—
Sat, Sep 06	vs Lynx	8:30pm EST	—
Tue, Sep 09	at Storm	10:00 PM	—
Thu, Sep 11	at Lynx	8:00 PM	—

Live stream the 2025 Golden State Valkyries season on Fubo: Start with your free trial today!

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