The Golden State Valkyries are trending because they reached the WNBA Finals in only their second season as a franchise. On October 9, 2026, they beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime to complete a 3-0 sweep of their semifinal series. That result made Golden State the fastest expansion team ever to reach the WNBA Finals.
Game 3 took place on Friday, October 9, 2026, at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The Valkyries trailed during the game but erased the deficit with a 17-0 run in the third quarter. In overtime, Golden State outscored Las Vegas 16-6 and made all eight of its free throws. The final score was 87-77.
Kayla Thornton led the Valkyries with 18 points in Game 3. Gabby Williams added 16 points, including eight in overtime and the go-ahead jumper with 54.7 seconds left. Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes each scored 11, and Stokes also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. For Las Vegas, A'ja Wilson scored 21 points but shot just 6-for-19.
Tiffany Hayes passed 500 career playoff points during Game 3, according to the Valkyries' game recap. That milestone came in the same game that sent Golden State to the Finals. It adds a personal achievement to a team result that already carried historic weight.
ESPN reported that the Valkyries became the quickest expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals, doing so in just their second season. In their inaugural 2025 season, they made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. One year later, they swept the defending champions to reach the championship series.
The Aces entered the series as the defending WNBA champions and had won three of the past four titles. Golden State swept them, which was the first time Las Vegas had been swept since Becky Hammon took over as coach. Hammon pointed to the rebounding battle as the difference in the series.
On October 10, 2026, "valkyries vs aces" ranked among the top US trending searches with more than 200,000 searches. According to trend tracking site trendopic.com, the term entered at 00:30 UTC and peaked at #25 over roughly 17 hours. The hashtag #Valkyries also reached #9 in the United States on getdaytrends.com.
The trend peaked the day after Golden State completed the sweep, when news recaps and highlight clips circulated widely. A decisive overtime win gives fans a clear moment to search for and share. That combination of a historic result and a dramatic finish explains the sudden spike.
Golden State will face the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals. Atlanta swept the New York Liberty earlier on the same night to earn its spot. The Valkyries hold home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Game 1 of the Finals is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 17, 2026. It will be played at Chase Center in San Francisco, the Valkyries' home arena. The game is set to air on NBC and Peacock.
The Aces had been the team to beat in the Western Conference, and their sweep loss ends that run. For Golden State, beating the reigning champions in a sweep is a stronger signal than a close series win would be. It also means the Valkyries did not need a Game 4 to advance.
The 2026 Finals will be the first since 2021 without either the Las Vegas Aces or the New York Liberty. Both teams were eliminated in the semifinals, with Atlanta sweeping New York. That absence makes this Finals matchup unfamiliar territory for recent WNBA history.
Neither the Valkyries nor the Dream have won a WNBA championship before. For Golden State, a title would come in only the franchise's second season. For Atlanta, it would be the first championship in the team's history.
Golden State opened as -125 favorites to win the title at DraftKings after reaching the Finals. In sports betting, a negative number means the team is favored, and -125 indicates the amount a bettor would need to wager to win 100 dollars. These odds are an estimate of probability, not a guarantee of the outcome.
CBS Sports reported that owner Joe Labo predicted in October 2023 that the franchise would win a championship within five years. Reaching the Finals in 2026 puts the team in position to fulfill that timeline. The prediction was made when the Valkyries were still building their roster.
Golden State joined the WNBA as an expansion franchise and built its roster through the expansion draft and subsequent acquisitions. That approach produced a playoff team in 2025 and a Finals team in 2026. The speed of that rise is what makes the current run unusual.
The 17-0 run in the third quarter of Game 3 turned a deficit into a lead. A run that long requires stops on defense as well as made shots on offense. It gave Golden State control of a game it had been losing and set up the overtime finish.
In overtime, the Valkyries outscored the Aces 16-6. They made all eight of their free throws in that period, which required composure under pressure. That free-throw accuracy helped close out the series on the road.
Atlanta reached the Finals by sweeping New York, so it enters with momentum as well. The Valkyries have home-court advantage and a deeper recent playoff run in 2026. The series will test whether Golden State's rebounding edge continues against a different opponent.
Game 1 tips off on October 17, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Further games will follow in the best-of-seven format. Schedules and recaps are available on WNBA.com and the Valkyries' official site.
