The Golden State Valkyries walked into Chase Center on Sunday as champions, but the celebration didn’t land with the kind of roar anyone might have expected.
Just one day after Gabby Williams poured in 30 points, 28 of them after halftime, to lift Golden State past the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7, the title team was back in the same building for the Warriors’ matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. The arena had been packed and dressed in violet and gold for the franchise’s first championship the night before. This time, the mood was noticeably different.
During a timeout, the Valkyries were honored at midcourt. Williams, Tiffany Hayes and teammates stood with the WNBA trophy before joining a t-shirt toss for the crowd.
But the response from the 18,000 fans in the building was described as lukewarm, and the moment never quite caught fire. The MC tried to push the crowd into a louder reaction, but the players wound up standing awkwardly with the trophy.
Williams, the Finals MVP, was still glowing from the night before. “ That was the best night of my life,” Williams said.
Online, the reaction was immediate and unsparing. One fan wrote, “ Well this was embarrassing,” while another went after the presentation itself: “ Nobody cared and that announcer was as cringe as they come. 🤡 show,”
The jokes kept coming, too. “ If they wanted to get them off the court quickly, they could have started the national anthem,” one fan wrote. Another added, “ They thought they were going to have a Milwaukee Brewers in Green Bay moment,”
The muted reception stood out because of what the Bay Area usually looks and sounds like. The region has long been known for loud support of its teams, especially during the Warriors’ dynasty, when Oracle Arena was one of the NBA’s most intimidating buildings. The Valkyries’ Finals crowd had already shown that noise is still very much part of the picture.
Not everyone thought the issue was apathy. One X user argued the timing was the problem, not the fan base.
“ Why didn’t they do something during halftime? It was a pretty boring entrance. Timeouts are when you go pee or get something else to drink/eat,” the account wrote.
That same user added, “ I think it was more a case of poor planning than a lack of people caring. ”
Another post took a sharper angle: “ Crazy Chase Center Warrior fans don’t come close to Valkyrie fans,”
The Valkyries have sold out every home game since their inception, and their home court has already earned the nickname Ballhalla. That energy was on display during the championship run, which ended with Golden State going 23-21 in its debut season, then sweeping the Minnesota Lynx in its first playoff series. The title also gave the franchise the record for the fastest championship by an expansion team in major American sports.
The Warriors did their part to acknowledge the moment. Gary Payton II wore a purple Valkyries No. 1 jersey during warmups, Draymond Green wore a championship shirt on the bench while sidelined, Steve Kerr praised the team’s run before tipoff, and Stephen Curry has been a consistent supporter.
On the court, the Warriors handled the Clippers 124-112 for their fourth straight win.
Owner Joe Lacob said a title would come within five years. It took two. Williams, Janelle Salaun and Veronica Burton are expected to remain with the team, setting up the possibility that Golden State could become not just the fastest expansion champion, but one of the most dominant as well.
A quiet timeout won’t erase a championship. But it did leave the Bay Area with a fresh question: when the Valkyries return to defend their title, will Chase Center sound anything like it did in Game 7?
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