The Golden State Valkyries officially announced their team name and colorway Tuesday, and the franchise already has a big fan in Paige Bueckers, the UConn star and projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
It's unclear if the WNBA will award the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick to the Valkyries -- the newest expansion team -- but if they do, there's a very good chance Bueckers will be the selection.
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The Athletic, Bleacher Report and Tankathon all have Bueckers going No. 1 overall in their way-too-early 2025 WNBA mock drafts.
There's good reason Bueckers is the top WNBA draft prospect. In 85 career UConn games over three seasons, she is averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 23-year-old guard is a 53-percent shooter from teh field and has made 43.5 percent of her 3-point attempts.
As for the Valkyries design and color scheme, the team provided a detailed explanation in a press release sent out at 5:45 a.m. PT on Tuesday:
-- The outer shape of the logo is a V, reinforcing the V in Valkyries, which symbolizes the unity of a group of Valkyries in flight, and standing for victory.
-- The Bay Bridge is depicted to reinforce the team’s presence across the Bay, but specifically the tie between the team’s homes in both Oakland, where the team’s practice facility and front office is located, and in San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the team will play all home games. The bridge tower doubles as a sword—a symbol of courage, power, and authority. Swords are weapons frequently depicted with Valkyries in mythology.
-- The bridge cables double as wings, a strong telegraphic symbol of Valkyries. The five triangles formed within the wings represent the five players facing each other on each side of the court.
-- The thirteen lines coming from the top of the sword represent the Valkyries becoming the 13th active team in the WNBA.
-- Valkyrie Violet symbolizes power, ambition, nobility, and women’s empowerment, much like purple has been used symbolically in modern history.
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We'll have to wait at least another year to find out if Bueckers will be wearing Valkyrie Violet, but it's clear she wouldn't be opposed to joining the Bay's team.