Four days after winning the first championship in franchise history, the Golden State Valkyries got their parade. On Wednesday, the team rode open-top buses down the Embarcadero in San Francisco, from the Ferry Building toward Oracle Park, as fans in Valkyries violet lined the route. It capped a run I followed from the Finals all the way to the Game 7 comeback on Halloween night.
For the Whole Bay
The Valkyries practice in Oakland, so the team started the day there and took a ferry across the bay to San Francisco, according to KTVU. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee wore a violet wig, called the team “phenomenal women” and hugged Finals MVP Gabby Williams.
Gabby Williams Ran the Party
Williams wore a “For the Bay!” hoodie, beat the team’s game-day drum while the crowd chanted “G-S-V,” and got off the bus to sign jerseys and dance with fans, according to KTVU and Yahoo Sports. She and Kiah Stokes sprayed fans with champagne. Stokes, celebrating her fourth title, said she wished it were Halloween again so fans could come in costumes.
Some fans did anyway. Kaitlyn Chen showed up to Game 7 dressed as a hot dog, and Yahoo Sports reported that fans wore hot dog costumes to the parade in response. Veronica Burton, Laeticia Amihere and Chen high-fived fans and took selfies along the way, and there were signs in French and Italian for Williams, Janelle Salaün, Aminata Gueye and Cecilia Zandalasini.
What’s Next
The celebration is over, and the offseason is already moving. The draft lottery is Nov. 15, and the Liberty are looking for a new coach after firing Chris DeMarco. Golden State will try to become the first repeat champion since the Aces in 2022 and 2023 when the 2027 season tips off in May.
Featured photo: Valkyries mascot Violet at Chase Center, August 2025 by Sarah Stierch, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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