The WNBA Finals kick off today, with the New York Liberty taking on the Minnesota Lynx in a battle for the 2024 title. But this afternoon, the WNBA announced potentially even bigger news: The league’s newest team, the Golden State Valkyries, have found their head coach in Natalie Nakase.
Nakase was previously a first assistant coach for three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, who won the championship in 2022 and 2023. She is the first Asian American coach to win a title and will become the first Asian American head coach in the WNBA. She played for the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins in college and previously worked for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers for 10 seasons.
“Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” Nakase said in a statement. “I am thankful to Joe Lacob, Ohemaa Nyanin and the Golden State front office for entrusting me with this responsibility. We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”
But the Valkyries aren’t the only team headed to the WNBA. Here’s what to know about the three expansion teams—plus, how drafting players will look.
The Golden State Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries will be the WNBA’s 13th team, looking to tip off their first game in May 2025. The team was announced last October, and have already passed 17,000 season ticket deposits, becoming the first women’s team in sports history to do so. They’ll play at San Francisco’s Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors.
The team, led by president Jess Smith, has already announced a slew of partnerships, including with Chase and Kaiser Permanente.
“I think the beauty and power in it is also that it’s the vision of doing it together for the first time,” Smith told The Athletic in October. “There’s legacy brands and great partnerships. But there is also a power in being there from the beginning and from day one that no one can ever take away from us. Like this inaugural jersey that is going to mean something to this region and beyond.”
The team will get the opportunity to select players when the league conducts the Golden State Expansion Draft on Friday, December 6. Golden State will have the opportunity to acquire the player contract of, or the negotiating rights to, one available player from each of the current 12 teams, per the WNBA; certain players will be “Protected Players,” meaning they aren’t available for selection in the Expansion Draft.
Toronto
San Francisco isn’t the only city getting a WNBA team—the league is also going international, with a team coming to Toronto in 2026. It will be the WNBA’s 14th team, they announced in May. It will be owned and operated by Kilmer Sports Ventures, which is invested in the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, MLS’ Toronto FC and other professional sports franchises, and their chairman Larry Tanenbaum.
“Bringing a WNBA team to Toronto represents an important milestone for our league as we continue to expand both domestically and outside the United States,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “With Larry Tanenbaum’s distinguished record of leading successful sports franchises and Toronto’s appeal as a dynamic, diverse city that cares deeply about the game of basketball, we are confident that this new team will thrive as a first-class WNBA organization and become a great source of inspiration and support for the Toronto-area community and across Canada.”
The team will play its home games at historic Coca-Cola Coliseum, where the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL play, and additional games may be played at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Raptors and the Maple Leafs.
Portland
The City of Roses will also be getting a new WNBA team in 2026. It will be the league’s 15th team, they announced in September. Lisa Bhathal Merage, whose family has history investing in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and as controlling owners of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, will serve as controlling owner and WNBA Governor.
“For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter of women’s sports.” Merage said in a statement. “We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home. We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will rally around this team.”
The Portland team will play at the Moda Center, home of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. And this isn’t the first time the city has had a WNBA team: It was previously home to the Portland Fire, which played just three WNBA seasons from 2000 to 2002 and never advanced to the playoffs before folding.
Love to see it!
Charlotte Walsh (she/her) is an associate news editor with Women’s Health, where she covers the intersection of wellness and entertainment. Previously, she worked as a writer at The Messenger, E! News, and Netflix. In her free time, she enjoys reality television, tennis and films starring Nicole Kidman.
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