SI

WNBA Fans Had Jokes About Valkyries Not Selecting Storm Player in Expansion Draft

Golden State chose a player from every team but one.

Tom Dierberger

Michelle Wie West was among the Bay Area natives to announce the Valkyries' selections in the expansion draft.
Michelle Wie West was among the Bay Area natives to announce the Valkyries' selections in the expansion draft. / ESPN
In this story:

The Golden State Valkyries searched high and low around the WNBA for players to add to their roster in the 2024 expansion draft.

The Valkyries were allowed to draft up to 12 players on Friday night, one from each of the other 12 teams around the league. Those players could be on the active roster, on a team's international rights list or a player whose draft rights a team owned.

The Valkyries drafted 11 players, including former Las Vegas Aces fan favorite Kate Martin, from 11 different teams. The only team they didn't choose a player from was the Seattle Storm.

Seattle is coming off a solid 2024 campaign, going 25–15 and finishing third in the WNBA but falling in the first round of the playoffs to the Aces. The Storm had five players average double-figure points last season, including leading scorer Jewell Loyd and nine-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike.

But the Valkyries opted to move on without selecting one of Seattle's depth pieces available to draft, a list that might have included former UConn star Nika Muhl, the No. 14 pick of the 2024 draft.

WNBA fans had some fun at the Storm's expense after learning of Golden State's decision:

After the expansion draft, the Valkyries can continue to build onto their roster through trades, free agency and the 2025 draft, where they hold the No. 5 pick.

More of the Latest Around WNBA

feed

Published
Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

Home/WNBA