Golden State went from 45-1 longshots to champions, beating Atlanta 68-63 in a Game 7 thriller, with Natalie Nakase's journey at the heart of it.
The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions. They beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a nerve-shredding Game 7, coming from behind to finish one of the most unlikely runs the league has seen. It took them just 534 days from their first-ever game, making them the fastest expansion team in major North American pro sports history to win a title.
Before the season, oddsmakers had them at 45-1. Nobody expected a second-year franchise to be hoisting the trophy. But the Valkyries built a roster around players the rest of the league had overlooked: a point guard Dallas had given up on, a starting forward who had been waived five times, and a late-blooming All-Star who was passed over by every team at one point. Golden State gave all of them room to grow, real responsibility and trust, and they delivered.
That approach fits head coach Natalie Nakase, who has built her career on turning small openings into big opportunities. She walked on at UCLA and earned a scholarship. She sent in an unsolicited scouting report that landed her a coaching job in Japan's top men's league. Her path was never straightforward, and she knew what a player can do once someone finally believes in them.
Nakase is also the first Asian-American head coach to win a WNBA title, a milestone that matters in a league that prides itself on opening doors. Her team's bond became its calling card, and its coach summed it up as "unbreakable love." The Valkyries have proof now that culture, patience and belief can win a championship, even on a timeline nobody thought possible.
