Becky Hammon Can’t Help but Tip Cap to Valkyries’ ‘Special’ Culture After Aces Sweep
The Golden State Valkyries are going to the WNBA Finals in their second season of existence. They didn’t just beat any team to get there. They swept the reigning champions with an 87-77 overtime win in Las Vegas.
The Aces were short-handed without NaLyssa Smith, but they still had their big three and a championship head coach. Any team led by Becky Hammon and A’ja Wilson is a formidable foe. But the Valkyries relied on their depth and balanced offense, wearing the Aces down with hustle plays on the glass and on defense.
Hammon, who mentored Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase for a few years, praised the team’s culture and identity after Game 3.
“They really play great team ball,” Hammon said, per a video on the Aces’ YouTube channel. “On any given night any of them can have 15, 20 on you because they share the ball, and it seems—I don’t know her team that well, but it just seems like nobody cares who gets the credit, and that’s a really special thing to have on a team, and I think Golden State has that.”
Beating the Aces was a team effort
Gabby Williams has become the face of the Valkyries franchise, and she has been great in the playoffs so far. She recorded a 25-point double-double in Game 1 against the Aces and followed that up with another 20-point performance. She struggled to score efficiently in Game 3, shooting just 37.5% from the floor, but made big plays late and still finished the game with 16 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Still, Williams needed help to beat the Aces’ big three, and she got it.
In Game 1, Kaitlyn Chen emerged as the team’s second-leading scorer with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block off the bench. Moreover, Aminata Gueye, an undrafted rookie who had just joined the team and barely played in the regular season, recorded 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block in 13 minutes while guarding A’ja Wilson.
In the next game, Tiffany Hayes was huge off the bench with 21 points, and Kayla Thornton made all the difference with 16 points and great effort on the glass. Veronica Burton went 1-of-3 from the field, but hit a big 3-pointer when it mattered most.
When it was time to close out the Aces, Thornton scored 18 points and grabbed four offensive rebounds. Hayes, Chen, and Kaila Charles combined for 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals off the bench, while Kiah Stokes played her best game of the playoffs. She recorded 11 points on perfect shooting, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
The Valkyries are a rather unusual championship contender due to their lack of star power compared to teams that recently won titles. Nevertheless, they are proving in real time that depth, versatility, and selflessness can be just as valuable.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.