Valkyries excite, but drop franchise opener

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

A new journey begins.

The biggest story of the 2025 WNBA season, which got underway on Friday night, is the debut of the newest team in the league, the expansion Golden State Valkyries. And the biggest transaction of the offseason was the trade that sent three-time All-Star and two-time champion Kelsey Plum from the Las Vegas Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks.

On Friday at the Chase Center, the latter got the better of the former. The Valkyries...