Fans were surprised when Paige Bueckers announced that she would stay at UConn for one more year instead of declaring for the WNBA Draft. Though Bueckers was projected as one of the top 3 picks this year, the Huskies star decided to have one final go at the NCAA Championship. Now, analysts project Bueckers as the top pick for the 2025 WNBA draft, which they speculate might eventually land her with the new WNBA franchise- the Golden State Valkyries. And it is probably this prediction that has earned the Valkyries a significant amount of following, which is evident in their latest development.

During an interview with NBC News, Valkyries president Jess Smith corrected an earlier figure of 15,000 season tickets sold, revealing that the team is actually nearing the 17,000 mark as excitement continues to build for the franchise’s debut season.

“I have a small correction there. We are actually nearing 17,000… Day after day I log in just to see sometimes 100s of more people that have lined up to say like, ‘I want in, I wanna be there for every single thing that you do,'” Smith stated via NBC News. While no players have been announced so far for the WNBA’s latest expansion franchise, the excitement is through the roof.

“We hosted an open house and it was the first time that any of our fans have ever been to the Chase Center and for four hours I stood in line and talked to every single person that I had time to. And even in that line, people were making decisions right there. Like they just met somebody and they want to sit next to each other or if they find out that they had something in common that they didn’t think about,” she added.

The Valkyries will be the first WNBA team in Northern California since the Sacramento Monarchs folded in 2009. Sharing the Chase Center with the Golden State Warriors , the team is expected to draw large crowds in its debut season.

“Building that community and seeing it come together for the first time in the arena was really cool. I can’t wait until we have an actual player in the jersey and other things that we get to rally around you know together and having fun in doing that,” Smith concluded her comments.

Announced as the 13th WNBA franchise last year, the Valkyries, based in Oakland, unveiled their name and colors in May 2024. When Paige Bueckers retweeted the logo, calling it the “Prettiest colorway ever”, speculations about her potential move to the Valkyries began to grow.

Fans further speculated about Bueckers’ link to the Valkyries when she appeared wearing purple shades, a color associated with the franchise. From sporting a purple sweatshirt in a Gatorade ad to a lavender suit at the ESPYs, Bueckers has fueled rumors about her future WNBA home.

Speculation intensified when Bueckers participated in the “A Touch More” podcast, recorded in the same building where the Valkyries hosted an event with Togethxr. Despite the coincidences, the Valkyries have not confirmed any connection to the UConn star.

Paige Bueckers shares her take when confronted with Valkyries’ rumors

With her former teammate Nika Muhl now playing for the Seattle Storm, Bueckers has stayed connected to the WNBA. When asked about the Valkyries rumors by SFGate, Bueckers laughed off the speculation but appreciated the excitement it has generated.

“Lavender purple was always my favorite color. Obviously, the Valkyries latched on to that color, too,” the Huskies star stated before revealing that she usually laughs off such rumors. “It’s all love, though. It’s really funny. I laugh at a lot of it. It’s really cool,” she added as per SFGate.

The 2021 John R. Wooden Award winner is currently projected to be drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks as per Tankathon. It remains to be seen if the Valkyries will crack a deal with the team that will get Bueckers in the draft. As for now, she can tease her fans by giving her perspective on her draft rumors more often.