How the Valkyries created an unmatched WNBA home-court advantage and why expectations are high in 'Ballhalla'

Courtney Williams has been in the WNBA for a decade, appeared in 36 playoff games and gone to the Finals twice. She currently plays for the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, who boast one of the best fanbases in the league. 

But even Williams couldn't believe her eyes or ears the first time her Lynx took on the expansion Golden State Valkyries at the Chase Center earlier this season.  

"Man, they crowd was crazy," Williams said during All-Star Weekend. "I ain't gonna lie, like I think we was up on them like 10-15 at one point and they prolly went on like a little three-, five-point run and it felt like they tied the game up."

Williams didn't hesitate when asked if it was significantly different from most of the arenas she's played in.  

"Hell yeah, 18,000? Damn right it's different," Williams said with a laugh.

No one would be happier to hear Williams' review than Jess Smith, the Valkyries' president. Smith, who oversees the Valkyries' business operations, said watching the opposing team's bench and seeing how they react to the environment is one of her favorite things to do before games. 

Creating "the best home-court advantage you've ever seen" is not Smith's primary responsibility, but it's the one that most directly translates to on-court success. Prior to the season, she met with Valkyries players to discuss ideas and solicit feedback for pre- and in-game production, and to share an overarching vision for "Ballhalla."

In Norse mythology, valkyries are the maidens of the god Odin and guide the souls of slain warriors into Valhalla -- Odin's hall in Asgard. Smith and Co. wanted to tap into that tradition. "We're creating Valhalla, right? Like we're creating the lore," Smith said. "When you walk in here you've entered this new dimension of some sort." 

Ballhalla has certainly been a heavenly realm. 

The Valkyries are 8-4 at home compared to 6-10 on the road. They boast the best home field goal defense (38.8%) in the league and the second-best home defensive rating (94.2). Visiting teams struggle to score when they come to the Bay Area, and the Valkyries' home success is perhaps the biggest reason why they sit in eighth place with five weeks remaining in the regular season and have a real chance to become the first expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

"If you can hear the sounds in this building, it is unbelievable," Smith said. "Our fans are supporting them through and through. The players are giving their all, and the fans are giving it right back."

'We'll win a WNBA championship in the first five years'

On Oct. 5, 2023, the day the Valkyries were officially introduced as an expansion franchise, owner Joe Lacob, who also owns the NBA's Golden State Warriors, sat on stage and made a bold proclamation:

"First press conference with the Warriors, I said we will win a championship in the first five years," Lacob said. "I'm telling you right now, we will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise."

The Warriors won a championship in the fifth season under his ownership -- their first title in 40 years -- and have gone on to win three more. The Valkyries don't have their own Stephen Curry to lead the way (at least not yet), but they're building the infrastructure to make the same miraculous leap. 

The Valkyries' surprise success this season has stemmed from the standard Lacob set nearly two years ago, and the resources he's invested. "I have a joke, but joining Golden State feels like you're joining the Avengers," Smith said. There's a "relentlessness" that links all levels of the organization, which is filled with "incredibly thoughtful, fun, smart people that are driven to do great things." 

Smith's counterparts on the basketball side are general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and coach Natalie Nakase. All of them are in their first stint in charge at the WNBA level. Smith arrived from the NWSL, Nyanin was the assistant GM for the New York Liberty and Nakase was an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. They've bonded over the shared experience of going through this process together, and have not shied away from the expectations set by Lacob. 

"Pressure is a privilege," Smith said. 

'The world looks to the Bay to see what comes next'

The WNBA's decision to make San Francisco the first expansion city since 2008 was not made at random. From sports to technology, "the world looks to the Bay to see what comes next," Smith said. 

The Bay Area has always been known for having strong fanbases, both at the professional and collegiate level, and there is decades of evidence that the region supports women's sports. Add in Lacob's experience running the Warriors and a brand new arena, and this was the perfect situation to start a franchise. 

"When you look at Olympic data, when you look at World Cup data, this market is there. They're following athletes, they're traveling to go to marquee events," Smith said. The Valkyries were confident that "as long as we did our job of listening, being smart, looking at data and creating and investing the right way, the market was there for the taking."

In March, the Valkyries became the first team in WNBA history to sell 10,000 season tickets. Midway through the season, all 12 home games have been a sellout, and their average attendance of 18,064 not only leads the league, but is on pace to be an all-time record. 

"I think a part of our success and how we're doing well is the love that the city gives us," Kayla Thornton, the team's first-ever All-Star, said last month prior to a season-ending knee injury. Thornton, who was picked by the Valkyries from the New York Liberty in the expansion draft last December, was nervous at first about switching coasts, but quickly got on board after participating in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in February. "[The fans] were like, 'we can't wait for the WNBA to start, we're so excited we finally got a women's team,'" Thornton said. "It was just so heartwarming to know that people are excited. It makes you wanna play for them."

No one has been less surprised about the Valkyries' instant growth than Smith, who has lived and worked in the Bay Area on and off for nearly 20 years. She spent time with MLB's Oakland A's and MLS' San Jose Earthquakes, and commuted back and forth from the Bay Area to Los Angeles when she was the head of revenue for the NWSL's Angel City FC. 

"It's interesting because I get a lot of questions now that are assumptive of, 'There's no way you saw this coming, right?'" Smith said. "The honest answer is I did."

A 'great responsibility'

As Smith and Co. set out to build the Valkyries from the ground up, internal pressure was not the only motivator. 

"We took being the first expansion team since 2008 with great responsibility, knowing that the world was watching," Smith said. 

No one in the organization wanted to let down the WNBA or the broader women's basketball community. As soon as Smith took the job, she set about gathering as much information as she could from executives around the league, including Seattle Storm president and CEO Alisha Valavanis and New York Liberty CEO Keia Clarke, both of whom "answered all my questions," she said

Further expansion plans were already in the works when the Valkyries were unveiled in 2023, but Golden State's proof of concept has helped the league hit the accelerator. Portland and Toronto were both awarded franchises in 2024, and this June there was a shock announcement that the league would expand to 18 teams by 2030 with the addition of Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030). Lacob's expansion fee for Golden State was $50 million. Just two years later, the expansion fee for Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia was $250 million. 

The five forthcoming teams and their respective cities will have their work cut out for them to match what's happening in San Francisco. 

"We set the tone for these new expansion teams and what they can expect," Thornton said. "I don't think anybody's gonna be like the Bay Area, but it shows that… when you have people that are really, genuinely caring about you and want to put time into you, it pays off."

Smith is happy to help the other organizations get up to speed and pay the help she's received forward. "What we have built is a testament to the growth of women's sports and specifically the WNBA," Smith said. "Without the work that everyone has done to date… we wouldn't have the opportunity to build as powerfully as we did." In recent weeks and months, Smith has been in contact with Toronto president Teresa Resch and Portland interim president Clare Hamill, offering whatever support she can. 

"Nobody wins here unless everybody grows," Smith said.

'We want to be the best'

Smith's professional courtesy does not mean she lacks competitiveness. She may be on the business side of the organization, but she still has championship dreams. 

"We want to be the best at everything that we do. That's our mindset," Smith said. "Winning is a part of that, so I'm hopeful that we'll have a parade or two in the near future." 

Eight months ago, the Valkyries didn't even have a roster. Three months ago, they hadn't played a game. A month from now, they could be in the playoffs. That their goal of lifting a trophy within five years doesn't sound far-fetched is a testament to the culture and community they've built. 

Each home game, 18,000 fans transform Chase Center into Ballhalla and send opponents running scared. Golden State is already one of the most difficult road trips in the league. Just wait until the Valkyries are actual contenders. 

"They crowd is insane man," Williams said. "They doing it big out there, for sure."