The Golden State Valkyries, led by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, reach the WNBA Finals for the first time, taking on the Atlanta Dream in a series that returns to San Francisco’s Chase Center on October 26. The team also has a sizable following online, with more than 378,000 followers on Instagram and 58,000 on X when the report first broke on October 19.
After the Chase Center debut and widespread demand for tickets, the team was valued at $850 million. Sportico’s May estimates valued the New York Liberty at $600 million, the Indiana Heat at $560 million, the Seattle Storm at $425 million and the Phoenix Mercury at $420 million. These valuations are only estimates and not new investments received by the team.
Valkyrie’s estimated valuation has increased by $350 million since its founding in 2025, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Lacob and Guber purchased the Warriors for $450 million in 2010 and later paid a reported $50 million expansion fee for the WNBA franchise, which was awarded in October 2023. This expansion fee does not include all costs of building and operating the team.
The Valkyries won 67-62 in Atlanta on October 24, ending a best-of-seven series with two ties in the finals, with Game 5 taking place on October 26 at Chase Center. The Golden State Warriors won 68-64 to open the series. Forward Gabby Williams played a big role in the victory with 26 points, including four late free throws.
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is credited with helping the team succeed, from spending hours at a time picking out movies to texting staff at 4 a.m. to creating playlists ranging from songs by Rihanna and Taylor Swift to war music.
Earlier this year, Valkyrie announced that season tickets for the 2026 season were officially sold out, with the number of season ticket holders exceeding 12,000. The team added that during their inaugural season in 2025, the Valkyrie sold out every home game at Chase Center, setting a then-WNBA record with an average attendance of 18,064 and a total of 397,408 fans.
The team not only broke the WNBA’s attendance record. Sportico reports that annual revenue has reached $100 million, and the finals are expected to bring that number to $130 million. The forecast is not a reported result and the revenue is not a profit. The team has established sponsorship deals with more than 40 brands. Principal Jess Smith, a former revenue executive at National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC, was praised for helping support its commercial success, organizing its business approach around existing fans of women’s sports, “smart believers” who care about the local community and traditional Bay Area sports fans.