Valkyries star Veronica Burton reveals how Golden State’s culture lead to WNBA Finals win

November 4, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions in just their second season, and Veronica Burton believes the team’s culture was the secret behind their WNBA Finals win over the Atlanta Dream.

Speaking with Kevin Negandhi on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the Valkyries point guard reflected on what made this group special.

“We just really had a culture that was based off love and building each other up,” Burton said, via espnW.

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"We just really had a culture that was based off love and building each other up."@KevinNegandhi talks with Veronica Burton to discuss the Valkyries WNBA championship win 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ArpTgz2MEL
— espnW (@espnW) November 4, 2026

That culture was put to the test in the Finals. After taking a 3-2 series lead, Golden State was blown out by Atlanta in Game 6 at State Farm Arena, forcing a winner-take-all Game 7. The Valkyries responded, holding on for a 68-63 victory at home to clinch the first championship in franchise history.

Gabby Williams took home Finals MVP honors after a sensational second half. Williams scored just two points before halftime but exploded for 28 after the break, finishing with 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting, plus four blocks and two steals.

Burton did her part, too. The point guard posted 10 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7 and scored the final two points of the title-clinching win. She was steady throughout the series, putting up 13 points and five assists in Game 4 before adding 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in Game 5. Across those two games, she committed just two turnovers in 75 minutes.

Her journey to this point makes the moment even sweeter. The former Northwestern standout was the seventh overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the 2022 WNBA Draft but saw limited playing time in her first two seasons. She was waived in May 2024 and played just briefly with the Connecticut Sun before the Valkyries selected her in the expansion draft.

Since then, Burton has started at point guard in every game in franchise history.

Head coach Natalie Nakase has made no secret of how highly she thinks of her floor general.

“I think she’s the best point guard right now in the league,” Nakase said, via The Boston Globe.

Burton’s words suggest the bond inside the locker room played a major role. Now the challenge will be keeping that culture intact as Golden State looks to defend its crown next season.

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