SAN FRANCISCO — Kelsey Plum torched the home squad. The visiting Los Angeles Sparks walked away with an 84-67 win. Still, the sellout crowd at Chase Center punctuated the night with a rousing ovation.
History was made. Professional women’s basketball was back in the Bay Area, forever a hotbed for the sport. The 18,064 fans understood the assignment. This was a violet party, one even Plum couldn’t ruin.
She lit up the Golden State Valkyries with an array of shots, stepbacks and crafty drives, and finished with 37 points on 19 shots in her Sparks debut. Plum’s performance highlighted the expansion struggles of the hosts. Golden State simply doesn’t have a star on that level yet.
Tiffany Hayes, former teammates with Plum in Las Vegas, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The reigning Sixth Woman of the Year emerged as the go-to scorer for Valkyries. Temi Fágbénlé had 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting with a team-high four assists.
Julie Vanloo had 14 points in 27 minutes off the bench, catching fire from deep for a stretch. She wound up taking minutes from Kate Martin, who struggled in her debut with a new team. Martin — the Valkyries first pick in the expansion draft and fan favorite from her Iowa days alongside Caitlin Clark — finished with just two points. She only took three shots in 21 minutes, missing all three.
She was a microcosm for the offensive struggles Golden State will have this season. The Valkyries shot 36.5 percent from the field, including 9-of-35 from 3-point range. Their 22 turnovers led to 25 points for the Sparks.
But this night wasn’t about wins and losses. It was about the dawning of an era. It was about a region in America ever important for the women’s game, for its support of Stanford basketball and for the talent it produces, finally getting a WNBA team.
The last professional team in these parts were the San Jose Laser of the American Basketball league, owned by the same Lacob who now owns the Warriors and Valkyries. The ABL began in 1996 and lost out in its competition with the NBA-backed WNBA. In 1998, the ABL folded. The Bay Area had to travel to Sacramento for the Monarchs to get pro action. But they folded in 2009.
Now, 16 years later, the WNBA is home where it belongs. In the Bay Area.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert graced the inaugural game of the league’s first expansion franchise since 2008. Comedian and actress Ali Wong, a San Francisco native, headlined the celebrity presence along with E-40.
Golden State’s NBA team, recently bounced from the postseason, had a strong presence at the Valkyries opener. Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga sat courtside with owner Joe Lacob, a conspicuous pairing considering Kuminga is a restricted free agent.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat courtside with his wife Margot. And next to him was Doc Rivers, a surprise guest in support of Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, who was part of Rivers’ staff with the Clippers. Buddy Hield sat courtside with his daughter.
Perhaps no one had more fun than Brandon Podziemski. He jumped out of his chair and flexed his Valkyries jersey when his presence was announced. During a fourth-quarter timeout, he tossed t-shirts into the crowd. When Vanloo drilled her third consecutive three, Podziemski was practically on the court celebrating.
His mood was appropriate. This was a party in Chase Center.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)