Valkyries get A-plus for attendance as home slate closes vs. Fire
The Golden State Valkyries expect to complete a second straight season of perfect regular-season attendance when they wrap up their home schedule in San Francisco on Saturday night against the Seattle Storm.
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On Friday, the Valkyries (30-11) drew their 21st straight sellout this season — and 43rd in a row since they joined the league in 2025. A crowd of 18,064 fans packed Chase Center as Golden State won 82-66 against the Portland Fire to grab its fifth straight win.
The Valkyries lead the WNBA in average home attendance for the second consecutive season.
Golden State floor leader Veronica Burton said opponents know what awaits them when they visit San Francisco.
“We talk to people throughout the league,” she said. “Everyone loves playing here but hates playing here at the same time. The fans are awesome and stay engaged the whole time. It’s rocking and you can tell they feel it.”
The regular-season home finale is important to the hosts for more than just the attendance figure. The second-place Valkyries will take the court just one game behind the Minnesota Lynx (31-10) with three to play.
The Lynx hold the tiebreaker but have the tougher finishing schedule. They conclude the regular season with a home-and-home sequence against the playoff-bound Indiana Fever.
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The Valkyries hope to have international stars Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini back in action on the second night of a back-to-back. They were all given Friday off after returning from international duty.
Meanwhile, the Storm (8-33) are stuck at the bottom of the WNBA standings, two games behind the Connecticut Sun for the league’s worst record. The only previous time Seattle finished without double-digit wins was during its inaugural season in 2000 at 6-26.
On a positive note, Flau’jae Johnson, who was drafted by the Valkyries and dealt to Seattle, became the first rookie in Storm history to reach 500 points and 50 3-pointers in the same season in Thursday’s 114-77 home drubbing at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces.
Johnson’s 25 points in the game gave her 559 for the season, and her three 3-pointers pushed her rookie total to 52.
Seattle coach Sonia Raman has been impressed with her young star’s resilience in a tough season for the Storm.
“It’s all energy. It’s all gas,” Raman said. “She works really, really hard. She comes in really early; she gets her extra reps in. She’s sitting down watching film with coaches. She’s been a sponge. She just wants to get better.”
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–Field Level Media
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This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 10:45 AM.
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