Lacob’s Valkyries Rewrite the Rules of a Sports Debut

     Joe Lacob’s launch of the Golden State Valkyries has been more of a cannonball than a curtain call. Less than a year after Lacob paid $50 million for WNBA expansion rights, the Valkyries are already valued at a staggering $500 million. That tenfold leap doesn’t just make them the most valuable women’s sports team ever. It turns them into a business case study, a cultural lightning rod, and the loudest statement yet about what women’s basketball can be when it’s taken seriously from day one.

The Valkyries have done more than win games. They’ve built an atmosphere. Nine consecutive home sellouts at Chase Center have packed in over 18,000 fans per night, creating a buzz few first-year franchises ever dream of. Their violet and black branding, a confident departure from Warriors gold and blue, has turned heads and moved merchandise in all 50 states and over 70 countries. The crowd isn’t just big. It’s vibrant and diverse, filled with families, diehard hoop fans, and LGBTQ+ supporters who say they finally feel seen and embraced by a major team.

And the product on the court has matched the hype. Under head coach Natalie Nakase, the Valkyries have clawed their way to a gritty 8 and 7 record in their first 15 games, an unprecedented start for an expansion team without a marquee superstar. Guard Kayla Thornton has emerged as an early standout, averaging over 15 points per game, and the roster as a whole has gelled into a cohesive, relentless unit. Lacob isn’t done building either. With a full offseason ahead and WNBA free agency looming, he has hinted at landing a major name or two to elevate the roster even further.

But what sets the Valkyries apart isn’t just their performance or potential. It’s the infrastructure. While most early WNBA franchises were tethered to their NBA counterparts, often playing second fiddle, Lacob has given the Valkyries their own dedicated practice facility in Oakland, complete control over game day revenue, and a front office built to scale. That level of autonomy and investment has turned heads across the league, and other owners are already taking notes.

The ripple effect is real. WNBA franchise valuations have surged, with the league’s total value nearing $3.5 billion and new expansion fees projected to hit $250 million. Portland and Toronto are already lining up for teams, and league commissioner Cathy Engelbert has pointed to the Valkyries as the model for the future. What Lacob and his team have proven is that the demand for women’s sports has never been the issue. What was missing was belief, infrastructure, and bold ownership.

Now, with the Bay Area’s long and underappreciated history of women’s basketball finally being honored on a grand stage, the Valkyries are not just filling a gap. They are starting a movement. Their early success is more than a hot streak. It is a blueprint. And if this is just the beginning, the rest of the league better catch up fast, because the Valkyries aren’t just here to compete. They are here to lead.