The Golden State Valkyries are in the WNBA Finals in just their second season, and nobody in the Bay Area is taking it for granted — least of all the coach of the other team in the building.

Asked about the Valkyries during Warriors preseason practice in Las Vegas, head coach Steve Kerr did not hide how the NBA side feels about what its WNBA sibling has pulled off.

“To see the team make the finals in its second year, it’s incredible. It makes us proud,” Kerr said. “Everybody with the Warriors is very proud of what the Valkyries are doing.”

The connection runs deeper than a shared arena. The same ownership group led by Joe Lacob owns both franchises, and Lacob made it clear from the start that the Valkyries would not be doing a slow, patient expansion build. The team spent big — most notably landing star guard Gabby Williams — stacking the roster with win-now pieces through the expansion draft and free agency instead of accepting that a second-year team is supposed to be learning on the job.

The gamble paid off faster than anyone had a right to expect. Golden State swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals and will host Games 1 and 2 of the Finals at Chase Center, with home-court rights for Games 5 and 7 if the series goes the distance.

Kerr has long been one of the NBA’s most vocal supporters of women’s basketball, so his pride is genuine rather than ceremonial. He will likely be watching closely, schedule permitting, as he steers the Warriors through what could be a challenging 2026-27 NBA season of their own.

The Finals open Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET, with the second-year Valkyries hosting the Atlanta Dream. Whatever happens, the blueprint — an owner who refused to tank year one — is already the story of the season.

Sources: Yardbarker (Oct 14, 2026), citing Vegas Sports Today. Quotes as reported.