Which WNBA Team Won a Championship the Fastest After Joining the League?

In their debut season, the Golden State Valkyries finished with a 23-21 record, finishing eighth in the league and earning them a playoff spot.

During the postseason, they faced off against the Minnesota Lynx, who eliminated them in two games.

One year later, they finished second in the league with a 32-12 record, behind the Minnesota Lynx, who accumulated a record of 33-11.

Albeit from finishing top-five in the league, their road to glory was not easy.

In round one, the Valkyries faced off and defeated the Dallas Wings in a three-game series, two games to one, who finished seventh in the standings with a record of 27-17.

In the semifinals, they faced off against the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, who swept the Phoenix Mercury four games to zero to claim their third title in franchise history.

Yet, the Valkyries swept them three games to zero.

In the final round, the Valkyries tipped off a seven-game series against the Atlanta Dream, who’ve appeared in the WNBA finals three times previously, most recently in 2013, when they lost to the Minnesota Lynx three games to zero.

Moreover, one of the key storylines from this season’s finals was the decision to move the Game 6 tip-off time to 12:30 p.m. on October 29, 2026.

Because the Atlanta Dream play in the Gateway Center Arena, an arena with a maximum capacity of 3,500 seats, there were calls to move the game to State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks.

On October 29, the Hawks had a home game against the Miami Heat, set to tip off at 7:00 p.m., which made the only available start time mid-day on a weekday.

While the Hawks and Valkyries have different ownership, the Hawks game couldn’t be moved to 12:30, and the Valkyries game to primetime due to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, which states that all NBA games must be played 22 hours apart.

Next season, the Atlanta Dream are set to play at State Farm Arena, which boasts 17,044 seats, an upgrade from their current home, bringing in more fans.

Overall, the Golden State Valkyries’ historic achievement boasts empowerment of women in professional sports.