On today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins wades through a few big women’s sports headlines before sitting down with Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase.
Watkins chats with Nakase about leading a brand-new WNBA franchise, including building a roster from scratch and the front office team's goals and tactics in navigating Golden State's expansion draft.
Finally, Nakase discusses how she’d like her team to play, plus the fundamentals that she thinks will create a lasting locker room culture of winning as the Valkyries embark on their inaugural 2025 season.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.
On today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins dives into basketball. She kicks things off with a look at the first WNBA expansion draft since 2008, when the Golden State Valkyries selected 11 players from around the league to build their inaugural 2025 roster.
Pivoting to the college court, Watson chats through No. 3 South Carolina's winning week, zeroing in on how the defending national champions dominated two Top-10 teams.
Finally, Watkins takes a trip around the sports world, discussing NWSL free agency, NCAA soccer's College Cup, NCAA volleyball, PWHL hockey, and more.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.
The Golden State Valkyries began building their 2025 debut roster on Friday, when the first WNBA expansion draft since February 2008 saw the league's incoming 13th franchise select its first players.
Other than each team's six protected players, the Valkyries were allowed to choose a maximum of one player from each of the league's 12 current squads, including one total unrestricted free agent.
Golden State selected 11 notable 2024 contributors, leaving only the Seattle Storm's current roster intact.
Loaded with a barrage of both established and international talent, the Valkyries chose seven players who are at or over the WNBA's average age of 27, signaling the new franchise's interest in leveraging veteran talent to form a team who could immediately contend for a championship title.
Ultimately, Golden State GM Ohemaa Nyanin wants her new draftees "to be happy. I want them to understand the opportunity that they have to come and be historians. Once you get to put on that jersey and you get to sit in front of a packed Chase Center, your whole experience is going to change."
Bench stars highlight Valkyries expansion draft picks
Golden State snagged stellar talent on Friday, including some of the league's top bench contributors, like 2024 WNBA champion Kayla Thornton. The forward, who was likely only unprotected due to New York's incredibly deep roster, appeared in every 2024 Liberty contest, logging the franchise's second-most minutes off the bench.
Other new Valkyries include Phoenix forward Monique Billings, Golden State's lone permitted unrestricted free agent pick, and Connecticut guard Veronica Burton.
Perhaps the most surprising Golden State acquisition was Indiana center Temi Fagbenle, who proved a solid pairing with 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark in the Fever's 2024 campaign. Her availability in Friday's draft was a shock, giving the Valkyries a solid veteran two-way performer in the paint.
Also on the move is Las Vegas' fan-favorite guard Kate Martin. The surprise second-round 2024 WNBA Draft pick saw her playing time decrease as the Aces' injured roster got healthy last season. This move to the Bay Area, where she'll rejoin former Las Vegas assistant and new Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase, will likely give the guard more opportunities to develop and contribute.
In her live post-draft interview, Martin told ESPN, "I'm really excited. This league is all about opportunity and you just need one shot, right? I'm very thankful for the Aces and everything that I got to learn there, but I am really excited for this new beginning and to build something from the ground up with the Valkyries."
Valkyries roster leans on international talent
Joining the five US-born new Valkyries are six international standouts, with three from last season's WNBA courts and three from various European leagues.
Making intra-league moves are Australian forward Stephanie Talbot and Italian forward Cecilia Zandalasini, selected from the LA Sparks and Minnesota Lynx, respectively. Similarly, guard Julie Vanloo, who's first WNBA season at 31 years old had her leading the Mystics in assists per game, will relocate to the West Coast after Golden State claimed the Belgian sharpshooter.
The Valkyries secured the rights to two athletes who've never played in the WNBA — French guard Carla Leite and Spanish forward María Conde from Dallas and Chicago, respectively. French center Iliana Rupert, who helped the Aces win their 2022 championship before joining Atlanta, also earned a Golden State nod despite opting to play in Turkey rather than the WNBA last season.
Golden State's next steps
While last week's expansion draft is an important first step in building new squads, expect even more pieces to fall into place early as free agency and the trade market heat up next year.
Though free agency remains frozen until February 1st, Valkyries will have a significant amount of salary cap wiggle room with which to negotiate, as few expansion draft selections are arriving already under contract for 2025.
Golden State will also add to their roster coffers in April's college draft. The Valkyries have been granted the No. 5 overall pick, plus the fifth pick in both the second and third rounds.
The Golden State Valkyries expansion draft selections
- Monique Billings, forward (Phoenix Mercury)
- Veronica Burton, guard (Connecticut Sun)
- María Conde, forward (Chicago Sky)
- Temi Fagbenle, center (Indiana Fever)
- Carla Leite, guard (Dallas Wings)
- Kate Martin, guard (Las Vegas Aces)
- Iliana Rupert, center (Atlanta Dream)
- Stephanie Talbot, forward (LA Sparks)
- Kayla Thornton, forward (NY Liberty)
- Julie Vanloo, guard (Washington Mystics)
- Cecilia Zandalasini, forward (Minnesota Lynx)
On Monday, the WNBA announced that the expansion draft for incoming 2025 franchise the Golden State Valkyries will be held December 6th.
This will mark the league's first expansion draft since 2008, when the Atlanta Dream joined the league.
League sets draft limitations on 2025 expansion draft
Per the rules, the WNBA's 12 current teams can protect up to six players each, with all others available for selection. Those available for selection include all athletes each franchise holds rights to as of the end of the 2024 regular season. Accordingly, that pool spans both active players and those on suspended, retired, core, draft, or reserved lists.
Current teams must submit full roster lists showing all players — including those protected — to the league by a yet-to-be-set deadline. That deadline will likely fall around 10 days prior to the expansion draft.
In the expansion draft, the Valkyries will be able to pick a maximum of one player from each team. They can also choose only one 2024 unrestricted free agent.
Valkyries trade window could spur strategic WNBA moves
Perhaps most interestingly, once all roster lists are submitted, Golden State will be allotted a short pre-draft trade window to broker deals.
During this window, they can negotiate with teams to select, or purposefully not select, certain athletes. Golden State can also pick a player with the express purpose of trading them to another franchise.
Expect more WNBA roster shake-ups next season
The league has yet to announce if Golden State will be granted 2025 college draft picks, but has said the Valkyries will be eligible to participate in February’s free agency period.
With two new WNBA franchises in Toronto and Portland slated to begin play in 2026, Golden State's draft will likely be a preview of more expansion drafts to come next year.
While December 6th's proceedings will air live on ESPN, other aspects of the expansion draft will not be made public, including the current teams's protected players lists.
On Wednesday morning, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the WNBA would be adding a 15th team to its roster, with the league awarding Portland, Oregon its own expansion franchise.
Portland joins Golden State and Toronto as the latest WNBA additions, as the league capitalizes on this season's surging popularity. Golden State will begin play next season, with Toronto and Portland set to tip off in 2026.
The Rose City was an obvious choice to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who said, "Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans."
Notably, this is not Portland's first WNBA team. The city originally hosted the Fire, which competed for three seasons before folding in 2002.
The expansion team will be primarily owned by the Bhathal family, who also recently purchased the NWSL's Portland Thorns.
A'ja Wilson adds WNBA rebound record to 2024 stats
Aces superstar A'ja Wilson added yet another feat to her 2024 WNBA MVP campaign on Tuesday, breaking sidelined Chicago rookie Angel Reese's single-season rebounds record in Las Vegas's 85-72 win over Seattle.
Wilson, who didn't know she'd claimed the record until asked about it in the post-game press conference, reacted with nonchalance. "That's cool," she told reporters. "I don't hunt rebounds, so it's not something that's always on my mind... I'm focused on putting the ball in the hoop."
Her explanation had head coach Becky Hammon visibly rolling her eyes, saying she's had to remind Wilson that "the other half of [her] job is to freaking rebound."
Ultimately, Wilson acknowledged that the record is "a blessing," saying "this league is tough, so if my name can be in the record books in some sort of way, it's a blessing."
Rebound record is Wilson's third WNBA feat in one week
Wilson's written her name in the WNBA record books three times in the last six days. Her latest rebound accomplishment comes just two days after Wilson became the first-ever WNBA player to score 1,000+ points in one season, and less than one week after she shattered the league's single-season scoring record.
Tuesday's win also handed the defending back-to-back champion Aces at least the fourth playoff seed. That top-four spot secures them home court advantage for their first postseason round.
Set to debut in 2025, WNBA expansion team the Golden State Valkyries are already off to the record-breaking races. On Friday, the league's 13th franchise became the first pro women’s sports team in history to collect more than 17,000 season-ticket deposits.
That record means the Valkyries — who notably don’t have a single player yet — could join the Indiana Fever next season as the only WNBA teams to average over 17,000 fans per home game.
Golden State drops renderings of new Valkyries facilities
The Valkyries also turned heads by releasing plans for their state-of-the-art team facilities last week.
The 6,800-square-foot V-shaped locker room at San Francisco’s Chase Center will feature hot and cold tubs, a training room, staff offices, and a lounge and dining area for players.
Meanwhile, the team's Oakland training center boasts 31,800 square feet of developmental space, including two full courts, 17 total hoops, hot and cold pools, a training room, weight room, locker room, player lounge, and separate family lounge.
Franchise general manager Ohemaa Nyanin commented in the team's statement that “The investment that Golden State has made into both [facilities] underscores this organization’s commitment to excellence. Connecting both sides of the Bay with elite facilities will set the tone for our athletes, coaching staff and medical teams, as we build a roster that will compete for championships.”
Construction is already underway, with both locations set to open by next season.
A group led by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum will bring a new WNBA franchise to Canada, CBC Sports reported early this morning.
Set to begin play in 2026, the team will be owned and operated by Tanenbaum's Kilmer Sports Inc. Tanenbaum is a minority owner and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Argos, and Marlies. He originally explored an expansion team via MLSE, but was turned down by other members of the board.
The Toronto addition will be the WNBA's 14th team. It follows the Bay Area's WNBA Golden State, which will debut in 2025.
An official announcement is expected May 23rd in Toronto, according to reports.
"We continue to engage in productive conversations with interested ownership groups in a number of markets but have no news to report at this time," a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement. Tanenbaum's Kilmer Sports group, meanwhile, told CBC Sports that his organization has “no update at this time.”
In April, commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that Toronto was among the cities being considered for WNBA expansion.
The WNBA has a growing footprint in Canada, as the league's held wildly successful exhibition games north of the US border for the last two seasons.
In 2023, a preseason matchup between Chicago and Minnesota sold out Toronto’s 19,800-capacity Scotiabank Arena. This past Saturday, the league drew more than 16,000 fans to Edmonton for a preseason showdown between LA and Seattle.
The Toronto team will reportedly play at Coca-Cola Coliseum, an 8,000-seat arena which is currently home to the Marlies as well as Toronto’s PWHL franchise.
Could Serena Williams co-own a WNBA team in the near future?
Speaking with CNN on Monday, Williams expressed her interest in that potential — as well as the mounting enthusiasm for women’s sports around the world.
"I think women’s sport is having a moment that it should have always had," Williams said. "I feel like tennis has had its moment. It’s international, and it’s huge, and it’s always gonna be there.
"Now it’s time to lift up other sports — women’s soccer, women’s basketball — there’s so many other sports that women do so great, let’s put it on that platform. Women’s basketball is getting there, and it’s arrived."
When asked if she had any interest in adding a WNBA team to her roster of ownership stakes, the tennis great welcomed the idea. "I absolutely would be," Williams said. "With the right market, I would definitely be super interested in that."
"There is no risk — women’s sport is exciting," Williams added, citing the 2024 NCAA women's tournament's record-breaking viewership as evidence. "People are realizing that it is exciting to watch, so it's an overly safe bet."
Williams may not need to wait long to act on that bet. On Monday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that she is "pretty confident" the league will expand to 16 teams — up from its current 12 — by 2028.
The goal, she said, is to reach 14 by 2026. Oakland's Golden State is already on track to launch the league's 13th team in 2025. The move will mark the WNBA's first new franchise since the Atlanta Dream debuted in 2008.
"It's complex because you need the arena and practice facility and player housing and all the things," Engelbert said at a press conference before Monday's WNBA draft. "You need committed long-term ownership groups, and so the nice thing is we're getting a lot of calls."
Engelbert went on to name a few of the cities behind those calls, saying that the league continues to engage in discussions with Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, Denver, and Nashville, as well as South Florida.
"These can either take a very long time to negotiate or it can happen pretty quickly if you find the right ownership group with the right arena situation," Engelbert added.
The Commissioner's 16 team goal is not only good news for WNBA fans, it's great news for current and future WNBA players. At 12 teams with just 12 roster spots each, the league is held to a total of 144 players for any given season. An abundance of fresh talent coming up through the NCAA ranks has put pressure on the organization to make room for more worthy competitors, and four additional teams might be just the ticket.
While WNBA expansion to Portland had been characterized as “close to a done deal” in early October, the league’s plan to add a 14th team in Oregon has been halted.
When the Oregonian published its initial report on the WNBA coming to Portland, sports columnist Bill Oram even pledged: “If I’m wrong about this one, I’ll eat my throwback Natalie Williams Portland Power jersey.”
Oram will have to eat his words, if not his jersey. The WNBA “has shelved” the Portland expansion, he reported Wednesday, as negotiations with entrepreneur Kirk Brown broke down late in the process.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed a letter Wednesday to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, in which she called Portland “an ideal destination for a WNBA franchise” but pointed to the planned renovation of the proposed arena as a sticking point.
“In light of the potential renovation of the Moda Center currently anticipated to take place during consecutive summers, consideration of a WNBA franchise for Portland will be deferred for now until the timing and scope of the arena improvements are settled,” Engelbert wrote.
When the WNBA announced its expansion to the San Francisco Bay Area in early October, discussions surrounding a Portland team were in the late stages, even reaching the league’s Board of Governors.
The Bay Area team, which is under the umbrella of the Golden State Warriors ownership group, will be the 13th team in the league. The team is set to start play in 2025.
While Engelbert would not comment on the progress with Portland at the time of the Bay Area team was announced, she did say: “Our goal is to have a 14th team by 2025.”
The WNBA doesn’t plan to stop expanding anytime soon.
After announcing the Bay Area as the league’s 13th team last week, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Sunday that the goal is to add another team by 2025.
“Not to add more than that because when you run an expansion draft … obviously if you add 24 roster spots to a league of 144, that’s a lot, and we know we have the talent and the depth of talent in the league and those that haven’t made rosters and coming out of the NCAA system,” she said. “So the goal is to add that 14th team, not more, for ’25.
“But obviously longer term, I’ve said my goal is to get this league additional teams in additional cities that we think would be great.”
Reports have indicated that the second expansion city for 2025 will be Portland, although Engelbert wouldn’t confirm that in her press conference Sunday before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. She said that the WNBA has entertained “a lot of interest” from prospective cities, and they intend to announce the second team by the end of the year.
“It’s a really good problem to have,” she said.
The league continues to examine data — from demographics to the arena situation, viewership and fandom — to determine which cities will be the strongest markets for expansion. On Sunday, Engelbert listed off six other cities, including Denver and Portland, which the league has already visited. The WNBA has also been in discussions with Philadelphia, Charlotte, Austin and Nashville.
“We have to be very thoughtful in the way we’re thinking about it,” Engelbert said. “Now it’s whether we can find the right — as you say, the right mix of the ownership group with the arena situation and everything else that’s important as part of long-term investing in women’s sports and in a WNBA team.”