The Golden State Valkyries are currently leading the WNBA in attendance per game during their inaugural season, which is a remarkable achievement for the city and the WNBA as a whole.
According to TOGETHXR, the Golden State Valkyries lead the league in average attendance with 18,064 fans per game, surpassing the Indiana Fever (16,757) and the New York Liberty (16,121). In fact, the Valkyries are the first team in WNBA history to average over 18,000 fans at their first three home matchups.
Last season, the Indiana Fever finished first in the league in attendance with 17,036 fans thanks to the arrival of Caitlin Clark, the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Women’s basketball is finally getting the recognition it deserves and continues to surge in popularity.
Golden State Valkyries Set Attendance Record in Inaugural WNBA Season
The @valkyries fans are showing up and showing out 🤩 pic.twitter.com/6gqCFXzCKh
— TOGETHXR (@togethxr) June 5, 2025
On May 6, the Valkyries set a record for the most fans attending a preseason game, drawing 17,428 spectators at the Chase Center, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Just ten days later, the Warriors had a sellout crowd for their first home game of the regular season, with 18,064 fans in attendance.
Fans of the WNBA from the Bay Area have long dreamed of having a team represent their city. The league has finally made this dream a reality by awarding the Bay Area an expansion team for the first time since 2008.
“Credit to our President (Jess Smith and) our business side, they work extremely hard,” Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told Ballislife pregame. “They work extremely hard before I got there.”
“So, it’s just a testament to them and the way they know how to build an organization, get the word out and create a lot of buzz. Also the want of the W in the Bay Area, I heard from fans just personally 20 years. We’re waiting six years, we’ve been planning for this. So, it’s just a testament to our President, our business side, and then also our fan base, just being really hungry and thirsty for a WNBA team.”
Inspired by the Golden State Warriors’ success winning four NBA Championships over the past decade, the Valkyries aim to unite the community of women’s basketball fans across the Bay Area.
Nakase thanks President Jess Smith and the business team for making the WNBA team possible in Golden State while leading the league in attendance per game.
“We’re number one,” Nakase told Ballislife. “So that’s pretty good to be number one and just be six games in. So again, just credit to the Bay and then credit to our organization for building that type of excitement.”
Golden State Valkyries Players Feel the Love from Bay Area Fans
Players and coaches participating in the Valkyries’ inaugural season are impressed by the fan turnout at their games in Golden State. The passionate supporters throughout the city are expressing their appreciation for the team, making the Bay Area a significant attraction for the future.
“It’s been unreal,” Golden State Valkyries forward Stephanie Talbot told BallisLife. “The way that the Bay has got around us. Win or lose, they’re really proud of us. The energy in the stadium is amazing. So it’s awesome to see.”
HISTORY MADE! 👏
Kayla Thornton knocks down the first bucket in @valkyries franchise history!#IONWNBA pic.twitter.com/6gonwNorXl
— WNBA on ION (@IONWNBA) May 17, 2025
Forward Kayla Thornton joins the Golden State Valkyries through the expansion draft, and was a key x-factor in the New York Liberty’s championship run last year. Transitioning from playing at Barclays Center to Chase Center—she views this move as a blessing and expresses her gratitude for the opportunity.
During the Valkyries’ first-ever home game, Thornton scored the first basket in franchise history, which thrilled fans across Golden State for years to come.
“I mean, it’s been great,” Thornton told Ballislife. “I think the work that’s been put on it too. When our first game was (played on) May 16, all the work from the front office, and just to see it come out, to partition it has been great.”
Forward Monique Billings is in her eighth WNBA season after spending the previous year with the Dallas Wings and Phoenix Mercury. She was under hardship contracts and later signed to rest-of-season contracts.
Billings refers to the Bay Area fanbase as the “sixth man” due to their loyalty during both victories and defeats, as well as the positive atmosphere they create inside the arena.
“I mean, the Bay Area is showing up every single game,” Billings told Ballislife. “It feels like they’re the sixth man on the court for us. I love the interactions, the positivity, them cheering us on when we’re up, when we’re down, like I definitely feel it. It’s all the vibes. I’m so grateful for it.”
Player Reactions to the WNBA Expansion Draft
Talbot played for the Phoenix Mercury, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, and Los Angeles Sparks in her first six WNBA seasons. She was drafted at 33rd overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2014 WNBA Draft out of Australia.
When Talbot was selected by the Valkyries in the expansion draft last December, she was unsure of what to expect while moving hours away from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. During one of her games in front of the home crowd, she expressed her gratitude for being a part of the team’s inaugural season.
The Valkyries have another sellout crowd at Ballhalla.
18,064. pic.twitter.com/aQ9BFij8gx
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) May 22, 2025
“Originally, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” Talbot told Ballislife. “But as I kind of followed along from the Valkyries, and with how well they’re supported. How the fans get behind the Bay and being a part of the first-ever team in that expansion team is incredible to be a part of.”
As Billings transitioned from playing in front of the Phoenix Mercury’s fanbase, known as the X-Factor, to making history with the Golden State Valkyries, she shared an inspiring message to her younger self from her first year in the league with the Atlanta Dream.
“Just so grateful,” Billings told Ballislife. “It’s such a blessing. If you would have told rookie Mo(nique Billings) that this is her journey and this is where she’d be, she wouldn’t even believe it. So I’m just taking everything day by day, a lot of gratitude, and not taking it for granted. I’m having a lot of fun.”
The Caitlin Clark Effect on WNBA Attendance
The Caitlin Clark effect, the 2024 WNBA Draft class, and the league’s historic season attracted a new fanbase and paved the way for the growth of women’s basketball last year. Following unprecedented growth, the WNBA saw its highest attendance total in 22 years, with a 48 percent increase Additionally, the league saw enormous growth in social media engagement, merchandise sales, player milestones, and more.
Thornton envisions the growth of the WNBA in various cities, particularly noting the planned expansion teams in Portland and Toronto that will begin play in 2026.
“That group of that (2024 WNBA Draft) class that came in did definitely make an impact on us,” Thornton told Ballislife. “But kudos to everybody. This league has worked hard. Our players’ union staff has worked hard to get us where we are. So, a shout out to everybody.”
Billings played collegiate basketball for the UCLA Bruins in Los Angeles and grew up watching WNBA games in her home state. She was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive and All-Pac-12 teams in both 2017 and 2018.
Billings also emphasized Thornton’s point about how the Players’ Union staff tirelessly worked to attract new fans to women’s basketball.
“This is my eighth season,” Billings told Ballislife. “And it’s awesome just seeing the amount of new fans that are coming to the game, that those young ladies have brought to the game. There’s so much eyes and attention. I only see it continuing to grow. It’s a really exciting time.”
Locker room was HYPE after the W in Ballhalla! pic.twitter.com/cTRnYVo8Hv
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) May 22, 2025
The moment when the Valkyries captured their first regular season win against the Washington Mystics on May 21, the vibes in Golden State are high.
A full-Circle Moment for Monique Billings
Billings has come full circle in her home state, transitioning from being a spectator at Los Angeles Sparks games to playing in front of sellout crowds in the Bay Area. She takes pride in witnessing the growth of the league alongside her fellow players.
“I’m a Cali girl,” Billings told Ballislife. “So it’s an honor to be able to play in California. I grew up going to LA Sparks games, so I think about the little girls who are in the stands watching me now, them looking at me, saying, ‘Man, I can do that one day.’ It’s just such a privilege to be able to have this platform and to play in one of the biggest leagues in the world.”
When asked about the Bay Area’s fan favorite, Nakase said, “I love every player. I love one through twelve.”
Despite the Valkyries’ 2-5 start to the regular season, the primary focus for Golden State and its fanbase is to build community across the city while making history in their inaugural season.
Set to air on National Television, the Valkyries will welcome A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces to the Bay Area for the first time on Saturday, June 7.
