San Francisco – A block party at Thrive City outside Chase Center capped off a big week for the Golden State Valkyries.
On Tuesday, the team announced their logo, name and color scheme. Saturday’s event was a way to celebrate with the community, and a line formed outside the Warriors’ Shop as people lined up to buy equipment to support the women’s team.
“We want to bring sports or activities to little ones like this and teams they can look up to,” said Will Owens.
He attended the block party with his young daughter, Zuri.
“We’re trying to decide on a basketball or football camp for the summer,” Owens said.
“It’s going to be football,” Zuri interrupted.
Owens responded, “We’ll see, we’ll see.”
Owens himself played basketball growing up. He looked up to the greats in the sport, such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He wants Zuri to be able to look up to next year’s Valkyries players, and that basketball can be something for her too.
“I think that’s something different for her, she says ‘I want to play football’ because she sees that basketball is what the boys at her school do. That’s what she sees,” Owens said.
But the hundreds of people who filled Thrive City prove that people are excited to see women take the court at Chase Center.
Valkyries president Jess Smith said the excitement around women’s basketball and women’s sports in general comes from decades of work. Now people support the product.
“You’re seeing consumers really understand their power,” Smith said. “You want something to be successful, you buy the merchandise. You watch it on TV, you demand to see it and the broadcasters respond to that. The media responds to that. Ownership responds to that.”
Smith believes the excitement will continue. She said she is excited to see her daughters grow up in this new world.
“The best part is they won’t see a difference, they’ll see themselves,” Smith said of her daughters watching women in sports. “The boys and girls will idolize these WNBA athletes.”
Owens said he will bring Zuri back to the Chase Center and Thrive City for games.
He hopes she can learn that she can be the next Caitlin Clark, Lisa Leslie or Steph Curry.
“I think if we go to the Games, she might be more interested if she visits a professional WNBA team,” Owens said. ‘Because who are we looking at at this moment? We watch college on TV, but as far as the Bay Area, Oakland, San Francisco, here at the Chase Center, we haven’t had that.”
The Valkyries will become the WNBA’s 13th team. They will play in the competition from the 2025 season.
Smith said the more than 10,000 fans have already paid for season tickets.
