The Golden State Valkyries were under immense pressure as their playoff hopes hung by a thread. With head coach Natalie Nakase doing wonders, the team has been performing consistently this season. That is quite a big surprise because an expansion team rarely performs well in the professional sphere. Thankfully, putting an end to all the speculations, the Valkyries have finally booked their playoff berth.
Nakase and her girls recently faced off against the Dallas Wings. With a hard-fought 84-80 victory, the playoff berth was all but confirmed. Unfortunately, despite the good news, the fans will have to wait to catch their favorite stars in action at the Chase Center.
Golden State Valkyries Gets A Delayed Return To The Home Turf In The Playoffs
According to recent reports, the first home game at the Chase Center will be a delayed affair. Instead, Nakase’s team will be playing their initial playoffs at the SAP Center in San Jose. Well, quite expectedly, the fans have been questioning why exactly this was happening. The simple answer is the Lavar Cup. The tennis tournament will reportedly take place in the Chase Center in mid-September.
And while a lot of speculation has been going on about the same, the Athletics’ Ben Pickman confirmed the news on X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote, “The Valkyries said in a statement that they will play their first home playoff game at SAP Center in San Jose with the Lavar Cup tennis tournament set to take place at Chase Center in mid-September. Per the team, Oakland Arena also had a scheduling conflict.
The Valkyries said in a statement that they will play their first home playoff game at SAP Center in San Jose with the Lavar Cup tennis tournament set to take place at Chase Center in mid-September.
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) September 5, 2025
Per the team, Oakland Arena also had a scheduling conflict.
Well, this has been quite the bumpy ride for the Valkyries’ front office. After all, the venue in San Jose was not their first choice. Initially, the team wanted things to shift to the Oakland Arena. Unfortunately, this could not be done owing to scheduling conflicts. And surely, such a turn of events is not at all ideal for the Golden State.
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Golden State Valkyries Still Undervalued On Home Turf Despite Natalie Nakase’s Heroics
Natalie Nakase has been one of the best coaches in the WNBA this year. With her shrewd coaching skills, she powers her girls towards success and is the frontrunner to win the Coach Of The Year Award. However, keeping her foot grounded, Nakase showed no interest in individual accolades.
Yet, the contrast with how much the team has been undervalued despite all the collective efforts of the athletes and coaches is truly saddening. San Francisco has been pouring support on the debuting franchise. Thus, being deprived of a home playoff game is pretty much heartbreaking. Moreover, the fact that the Lavar Cup has been scheduled around the playoffs states that there were not many high expectations from the team, as the expansion team was heavily undervalued.