No WNBA expansion team has ever fielded as many as 10 international players on its opening roster. That is, until the Golden State Valkyries broke that mark this spring.
Seven of those 11 expansion-draft selections hail from overseas across six countries. Europe, Australia, Canada, and beyond—blurring borders in a franchise debut no one saw coming. Yet in camp, it was Kate Martin’s singular directive to be “greedy”, to plunge after every loose ball and snuff out every shot, that silenced any preconceptions

In an interview, former Iowa guard and Valkyries expansion draft pick from the Las Vegas Aces spoke about their views and plans to play. When asked about their identity, Martin said, “We know what we wanna our identity to be. We wanna be greedy, we wanna be relentless, we wanna be the ones diving on the floor for loose ball.” Her words crackled with the hunger to win and silence doubters. Martin, who once played with Caitlin Clark, knows what is required to win games and stick with the ideology.

“We went to be the ones getting stops,” Martin continued her description. “We want to be playing together and work our tails off.” The team formed from athletes from 12 different countries is certainly a cultural fair. Yet what binds them together is the performance on the court, and to put it ‘spotless’, everyone is ready to work hard.

Coach Natalie Nakase beamed at the scrappy drills ripping through camp. Every player sprinted into corners and chairs, hustling for possession at every turn. “Yeah, we have people going on into the corners, the stands, the chairs, diving for basketball,” she said, “So, I would say they are killers.” The franchise, playing its first season in the WNBA, is entering the league with a mindset and attitude perfect to set the tone for the future.

Adding to Kate and Natalie’s points, experienced guard Tiffany Hayes provided her views on the first training session. “We have to lock in on those little things because we’re just getting started together,” Hayes said. “We have to build our foundation so that in the future, we know what we’re coming from. It’s very important to [find an identity early], and the way to do that is to be yourself and just do that to the best of your abilities. When you do that, everybody knows where they need to be, and they know what they are going to get from me, and me from them.” Hayes won the Sixth Woman of the Year award in 2024, playing with the Aces, and knows the physicality of the league. Early returns suggest this group has already forged the shared belief needed for a fast start.

The franchises announced in 2023 waited two years to have their chance and say in the WNBA. Now with the ‘greedy’ players under their roof and everyone looking to prove doubters wrong, it will be interesting to watch the Valkyries games, both at home and away.

Golden State Valkyries challenge or a pushover?

During their initial roster expansion, Golden State Valkyries picked seven of their 11 choices hailing from outside the United States. Expansion picks Maria Conde and Carla Leite, both European pros yet to taste WNBA competition, epitomize the Valkyries’ high-risk, high-reward blueprint. Except for a few rookies like Kate Martin (Aces), Temi Fagbenle (Fever), and Kayla Thornton (Liberty), the Valkyries are banking on the players from the Euro league. Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin provided the reason behind it.

“We want to be competitive in Year 1. Someone who is going to come in and not be shy about the moment, and someone who has seen the bright lights of Europe, I think that is very important,” Nyanin said during a press conference. Choosing experienced stars over the young core gives Valkyries a slight edge over teams in rebuilding mode. The players, though, haven’t played together much and know their roles and gameplays to affect the match.

Kyla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes, both WNBA champions, anchor a youth-heavy backcourt with 21 seasons of collective experience. They would be key pieces for the side to glue together the young core and direct the young stars. Then Kate Martin and Kaitlin Chain have been with the winning programs from the NCAA and could be in an exciting backcourt pairing for the side.

“I think this is obviously a different experience than any other training camp,” second-year guard Kate Martin said. “Since it’s a brand new team, we’re all starting from ground zero. … We’re really building something from scratch, and so it’s a lot different, obviously, but it’s been really fun and it’s been really high energy so far.”

The franchise currently has 18 players on its roster. And before the start of the season, it will be cut down to 12. This will create an instant competitive feeling within the team. While the team will be playing at its best in the training camp, in the regular season? It will be a lot different. But no one could question their urge to stand out from season 1 and preparations for the future.