Kehlani, E-40, P-Lo to Celebrate Golden State Valkyries at SF Block Party

Since the WNBA announced that the Bay Area would receive an expansion team last October, fans have clamored with excitement and speculation around what the team’s name would be. 

On Tuesday, May 14, the franchise’s identity was finally revealed: the Golden State Valkyries. One team representative described it as being “Warriors-inspired… a host of women warriors.”

Fittingly, the team will be hosting a block party in front of Chase Center on Saturday, May 18, from 2-6 p.m. with appearances from Kehlani, P-Lo and E-40. Team merchandise will already be available for the earliest diehard fans, as the Valkyries aren’t slated to play their first game until the 2025 season.

The Valkyries logo is minimalistic and clean, with a violet crest anchored by the central tower of the Bay Bridge that flows into a winged V-shaped symbol. The bridge’s cables double as reinforced wings spreading outwards, and the five spaces on each side represent a total of ten players facing off against each other.

The announcement was made at 5:30 a.m., later accompanied by a Kehlani-narrated video — in which a camera flies over the Bay and into San Francisco’s streets with the sound of wings flapping in the background, alluding to the flying Nordic warrior that is the Valkyries’ namesake.

“This is where legends take flight,” says Kehlani, the Oakland singer whose early mixtapes Cloud 19 and You Should Be Here evoke a similar vibe of high-flying, pink-clouded views overlooking San Francisco’s mighty skyline. “Our story has yet to be written,” she tells fans.

Despite its recent growth in popularity, the WNBA hasn’t added a team since 2008, so anticipation has been high. (Team owner Joe Lacob previously invested in women’s basketball with the short-lived San Jose Lasers in 1996, as part of the now-defunct American Basketball League.) 

Responses to the Valkyries’ name and logo seem to be overwhelmingly positive up to this point. Warriors players Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis were shown repping their counterparts’ shirts in the Chase Center, where the Valkyries will also play. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has also been spotted in the Dub’s practice facility rocking a Vs crewneck. 

San Francisco-born Olympian and freestyle skier Eileen Gu shared a message for fans. Caltrain tweeted about going to Chase Center to watch the new team. Robin Roberts, who covered the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997, held up a a Valkyries sweatshirt on Good Morning America after interviewing team president Jess Smith. And Playa Society, a niche, independent clothing brand focused on the WNBA that has earned respect within the women’s basketball community, has already released their debut Valkyries merch. 

The few criticisms have come from a handful of fans who’ve pointed out that the Valkyries’ purple and black color scheme is weirdly reminiscent of the nearby Sacramento Kings, rather than the blue and yellow of the Golden State Warriors. Another commenter also made a reference to the Dallas Wings, an WNBA team that features a mythological winged logo that appears to be Pegasus. But the detractors are far and few between.

The only remaining element is to add worthy players to their roster and watch them ball out on the hardwood. With one of the highest picks in the upcoming draft to be awarded to Golden State, many fans are hoping that University of Connecticut star Paige Bueckers will land in the Bay Area.

As soon the Valkyries announced their name and logo, the young WNBA prospect declared that Golden State has the “prettiest colorway ever.”

The Golden State Valkyries will host a block party at Chase Center’s Thrive City on Saturday, May 18, from 2-6 p.m. Free admission.