Valkyries Announce New Injury After Blowout Loss to Sun
The Golden State Valkyries are looking to bounce back after a devastating 95-64 road loss to the lowly Connecticut Sun on Sunday. After an unprecedented start to the season with stalwart rim protection from key bigs, the Valkyries are losing depth with new injuries.
The second of a five-game road trip continues for Golden State as they head to Atlanta to take on the 15-10 Dream. Atlanta is on a two-game win streak behind All-Star Allisha Gray and star center Brittney Griner–who finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the Dream’s statement win against the league-best Minnesota Lynx.
Atlanta gave Minnesota its first home loss of the season in the 90-86 victory. Gray and shooting guard Jordin Canada added 30 combined points in the win.
Though stopping perimeter stars like Canada and Gray will be a challenge in and of itself, containing Griner at the rim could be even more challenging for Golden State given its injury report.
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, the Valkyries announced that 6’4’’ center Monique Billings is questionable due to a left ankle injury, per Nathan Canilao. The loss comes less than a week after Golden State lost the franchise’s first-ever All-Star, Kayla Thornton, to season-ending knee surgery. Billings, Thornton, and center Temi Fagbenle contributed to the defensive success of the expansion Valkyries, who ranked third in the league in team defense in June, per WNBA stats.
#Valkyries injury report for tomorrow’s game against the #Dream:
— Nathan Canilao (@nathancanilao) July 28, 2025
Monique Billings - Questionable - Left Ankle
Kayla Thornton - NWT - Right Knee
Billings, who played five seasons in Atlanta, was selected by Golden State in December’s expansion draft from the Phoenix Mercury.
Ballhalla got some help at the rim when the team activated French center Iliana Rupert earlier this month. Rupert was the lone bright in Sunday’s loss at Connecticut, finishing with a team-high 13 points in 22 minutes of action in her second game for the team.
Atlanta defeated Golden State 90-81 in their first matchup on July 7 as the Valkyries look to get back in the playoff picture with a victory at Gateway Center Arena Tuesday evening.
Anwar Stetson is a Multimedia Sports Journalist from Los Angeles, California. He previously worked as a TV News Reporter for KRCR News Channel 7 in Chico, California--covering politics, local news, wildfires, crime, and high school football. As an Assistant Editor for Spectrum Sportsnet: Los Angeles, Anwar worked on award-winning programs Backstage:Lakers and Backstage:Dodgers, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the two franchises' most prominent athletes. Anwar is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his Master's Degree in Specialized Journalism (Sports Emphasis) in 2019. He graduated from the University of California, Merced with a B.A. in English in 2016. In addition to Sports Illustrated, Anwar covers high school sports for Prep Network, and the WNBA for The Sporting Tribune.