Meet 2 of Golden State Valkyries' new 2025 draft picks, introduced 1 month before inaugural season
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area is exactly one month away from the Golden State Valkyries kicking off their inaugural season at Chase Center.
And on Wednesday, the brand-new WNBA team formally introduced two of their 2025 draft picks, Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen, who just landed in the Bay Area on Tuesday.
The two new Valkyries got a hero's welcome, landing at SFO.
Members of the Oakland's Claremont Middle School girls' basketball team were there to cheer them on.
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Sellers was the 17th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and is a point guard coming from the University of Maryland.
"I feel like we're kind of looked at as underdogs, and I love taking on that role, and the best thing about it is no one knows what to expect from us," Sellers said. "We get to write our own story and create our own destiny. I think that's the most exciting part."
Chen was the 30th overall pick, also taken on by the Valkyries. She was part of UConn's National Championship Team.
Both talked about what it means to them to be a part of this brand-new team, after attending the Warriors game Tuesday night at Chase Center, where they will also play.
"The atmosphere in there was amazing, it was so loud," Chen said. "I think we're so lucky to also be able to play in that exact same atmosphere and we're just looking forward to May 16th."
Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin called both athletes thoughtful, competitive, hungry and deserving to be there.
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Single-game tickets for the team went on sale a week ago.
Before then, fans could only buy tickets as part of season ticket packages.
They've already sold well over 10,000 season tickets, and they haven't even played their first game.
"There are no words to describe how much faith the Bay Area has in our franchise, more specifically, and I can't wait for these athletes to just feel the love from all of them as well," Nyanin said.
The Valkyries also selected the 5th overall pick, Justé Jocyté from Lithuania.
However, Nyanin did not have an update on the timeline for her arrival in the Bay Area just yet.
The Valkyries are set to play their home opener at Chase Center on May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
