"We had nothing like this" - Golden State Valkyries' Kayla Thornton lauds $3 billion NBA champion owner's investment ahead of the inaugural season

Kayla Thornton and the Golden State Valkyries are ready to take the WNBA by storm this year. The 2025 WNBA season will be the Valkyries' inaugural one.

Joe Lacob, worth $3 billion per celebritynetworth.com, also owns the five-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors, but has promised the Valkyries unlimited resources to succeed like their male counterparts.

Thornton was the first of the Valkyries' new players to see the home locker room and Lacob's investments in the team, and she was in awe of what she saw. The Valkyries have committed to being a top-tier WNBA organization and it certainly shows.

Thornton reflected on how far not only she has come since her career began but the WNBA altogether:

"When I first came into the league, we had nothing like this. It's amazing for women's sports in general, just the money that's invested now. What the (WNBA) is capable of doing now, seeing where we came from, it's tremendous. I hope other teams see what (the Valkyries) did and put the time in because we deserve it."

Thornton is coming off a season in 2024 in which she won the WNBA championship with the New York Liberty. Known as a defensive stopper, Thornton hopes to bring her defensive intensity to the Valkyries and help them establish their identity.

The Valkyries believe in her ability to do exactly that, as they took her as one of 11 players in the WNBA expansion draft that took place in December.

The Golden State Valkyries will look to make some noise in their inaugural season in 2025. Kayla Thornton will try to use her championship experience and veteran presence to help bring them to the WNBA playoffs and potentially a championship.

Golden State Valkyries to kickoff inaugural 2025 WNBA season at home against the new-look Los Angeles Sparks

The Golden State Valkyries will be tipping off their first WNBA season in 2025. The team has high hopes as Golden State basketball teams have been a threat over the past decade.

The Valkyries will start their historic first season against none other than the other California-based team in the WNBA, the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Valkyries and Sparks are scheduled to play each other on May 16, 2025, at Chase Arena in San Francisco, home of the Valkyries. The game will also be the first home game of the season for the Valkyries.

The Golden State Valkyries will look to make a mark on the WNBA this year in their first season, and their journey as a franchise will start in May.