SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Golden State Valkyries fans turned out by the thousands along the city waterfront on Wednesday, cheering the newest champions of the WNBA during a two-hour victory parade down The Embarcadero.
The route ran from the Ferry Building near Mission Street south to King and 2nd streets, with the celebration set for noon to 2 p.m. Fans were allowed to start claiming spots on the bay side of the street at 9 a.m.
Players rode violet buses, stepping off to slap hands with supporters and tossing shirts, towels and beads into the crowd. Finals MVP Gabby Williams heard chants of her name along the way. Head coach Natalie Nakase spent long stretches at the barricades signing autographs.
Team owner Joe Lacob, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie were part of the procession, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi waved from a cable car. Earlier in the day, East Bay fans gathered for a kickoff rally at Jack London Square in Oakland, where the team practices, before taking a ferry across the bay.
The Valkyries clinched the title days earlier at Chase Center, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7. Williams scored 30 points in that game, 28 of them after halftime, a league record for points in a playoff half. Center Kiah Stokes finished the series with 19 blocks, a Finals record, and won her fourth career championship.
The crown came in just the franchise’s second season, the quickest title run for any pro basketball expansion team. Nakase is now the first Asian American coach to lead a WNBA team to a title. The club sold out every home game this season.
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