‘Proud’ – Steve Kerr’s emotional reaction to the Valkyries reaching the Finals in second WNBA season
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacted to the organisation’s WNBA franchise reaching the WNBA Finals in only their second season of existence.
The Golden State Valkyries played their first-ever WNBA game in 2025 and will now host the first game of the 2026 WNBA Finals after an incredibly accomplished season where they built the best defence in the league.
This is a positive reflection of the ownership group led by Joe Lacob that owns both the Warriors and Valkyries, which means that current members of the Warriors franchise have supported the Valkyries throughout this run.
Steve Kerr is proud to see the Valkyries make the 2026 WNBA Finals
Warriors head coach Kerr was asked about the Valkyries during Warriors preseason practice in Las Vegas, admitting that the entire Warriors organisation is incredibly proud of what their WNBA team has achieved.
“To see the team make the finals in its second year; It’s incredible. It makes us proud. Everybody with the Warriors is very proud of what the Valkyries are doing.”
Warriors and Valkyries owner Joe Lacob is a huge supporter of women’s basketball, so his push to ensure the Valkyries were a contending team from day one instead of accepting a multi-year roster build as an inevitability has allowed this situation to foster.
The Valkyries spent big on additions like Gabby Williams, which ensured the franchise found the star piece to lead them to the championship after acquiring strong role players through the expansion draft and their first season in the WNBA.
Kerr is an active supporter of women’s basketball and will likely be tuned into the WNBA Finals, provided it doesn’t interfere with his or the Warriors’ preparation for what might be a challenging 2026-27 NBA season.
The Valkyries will face the Atlanta Dream in the 2026 WNBA Finals starting on October 17.
The Valkyries will host Games 1 and 2 at the Chase Centre, the same arena as the Warriors, and will have host rights for Games 5 and 7 if the series goes that long.
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