“Valkyries” select 7 international players in WNBA expansion draft

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries selected 11 players, including seven international players, in the WNBA Expansion Draft on Friday as the league’s 13th franchise continues to take shape.

The Valkyries will play in the WNBA next summer and host the Los Angeles Sparks on Opening Day on May 16.

The picks were announced in three groups of four in alphabetical order by team name:

Atlanta Dream: Iliana Rupert, C

Chicago Sky: Maria Conde, F

Connecticut Sun: Veronica Burton, G

Dallas Wings: Carla Leite, PG

Indiana Fever: Temi Fagbenle, C

Las Vegas Aces: Kate Martin, G

Sparks: Stephanie Talbot, F

Minnesota Lynx: Cecilia Zandalasini, F

New York Liberty: Kayla Thornton, F

Phoenix Mercury: Monique Billings, F

Washington Mystics: Julie Vanloo, G

No selection was made from the Seattle Storm.

Four players on Golden State’s inaugural roster have won a WNBA championship during their careers: Fagbenle and Zandalasini with Minnesota in 2017, Rupert with Las Vegas in 2022 and Thornton with New York in 2024.

“Our goal was to assemble a roster that embodies both versatility and depth, bringing a strong mix of leadership, defense and scoring ability,” said general manager Ohemaa Nyanin. “These players were carefully selected not only for their abilities on the court, but also for their ability to fit into the culture we are working to build here at Golden State.”

Friday marked the WNBA’s first expansion draft since the Dream joined the league in 2008. All twelve existing WNBA teams were able to protect up to six players – including both those who finished the season on their roster and anyone else the team owned rights. Those six players were exempt from the expansion draft, as were the unrestricted free agents who had already played a maximum of two years on contracts signed with the core designation. The league has not released the list of protected players.

The Valkyries could only select one player from each team and only one fully unrestricted free agent, who would then be eligible to be named a core player by the Valkyries. WNBA teams are allowed to have 12 players on their roster, and the Valkyries will continue to expand their personnel in free agency, which begins in January, and in the WNBA draft on April 14, when the Valkyries have the No. 5, 17 and 29 picks .

Before the 2026 season, the WNBA will hold additional expansion drafts for Portland and Toronto, the league’s 14th and 15th ranked teams. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she expects the league to grow to 16 teams by 2028. Last month, Rock Entertainment Group, also affiliated with the NBA’s Cavaliers, announced it would seek to send a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland. Portland, Philadelphia, Denver and South Florida, among others, are said to be exploring expansion offers.