Golden State Valkyries Make Electric WNBA Debut With Staggering Preseason Attendance

Golden State fans were fired up to see the Valkyries make their WNBA debut, as proven by the atmosphere and attendance at Chase Center.

May 6, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin (20) dribbles the basketball against Los Angeles Sparks guard Odyssey Sims (0) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Golden State Valkyries made their debut Tuesday night playing the Los Angeles Sparks and couldn’t have asked for a better opening act. The atmosphere inside the arena was electric and drew in a staggering 17,428 to watch the preseason game at Chase Center.

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17,428 PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THE VALKYRIES INAUGURAL PRESEASON GAME LAST NIGHT !

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That’s the highest-attended preseason game this year ! https://t.co/pqtaarqD9x

— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) May 7, 2025

The attendance numbers are the highest of any preseason game this year and the energy could be felt watching the game from home with one fan posting,“If the crowd is like that for preseason, I can’t wait to see it during the season". A sentiment echoed by everyone who got a chance to feel the vibes emanating around the Valkyries.

congrats valkyries that was a hell of an opening night. if the crowd is like that for preseason i can’t wait to see it during the season. ima look forward to watching this team going forward pic.twitter.com/roZBNrYKJh

— correlation (@nosyone4) May 7, 2025

After being down to the Sparks for the first half of the game the Valkyries started making a comeback in the second half and when Golden State fan favorite Kate Martin made her first points in a Valkyries jersey, the crowd went wild. Another roaring ovation came in the fourth quarter, when Golden State rookie Kaitlyn Chen made her debut. The former UConn Husky quickly sent the arena into a frenzy, finishing a fast break layup off a dime assist from Julie Vanloo.

Kaitlyn Chen from JVL on the break! pic.twitter.com/AtuLzZkglX

— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) May 7, 2025

Despite falling to the Sparks 83-82, the comeback from the Valkyries sparked standing ovations from the team's raucous crowd. For a franchise that’s barely existed for more than a few months, the Valkyries are already establishing a real connection with their fans, and the Bay area is ready to go hard for its new team. This was proven by the electric support from spectators in the team's packed debut.