NBA TEAM OWNED BY THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS. THE VALKYRIES WILL START PLAYING NEXT YEAR. THE NAME WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW WNBA SEASON. ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA. >> RELEASE THAT BANNER, LILY. LET'S SEE IT. >> YEAH. GOOD THE VALKYRIES, GOLDEN STATE. VALKYRIES. >> THE WORD VALKYRIES MEANS FIERCE WOMEN WARRIORS IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY. TEAM PRESIDENT JESS SMITH WAS AT GMA FOR THE REVEAL. AFTER THAT, SHE SPOKE WITH ABC SEVEN NEWS ANCHOR STEPHANIE SIERRA ABOUT WHAT INSPIRED THE NAME AND WHY THIS TEAM IS A PERFECT FIT FOR THE BAY AREA. >> THE VALKYRIES HOW DID YOU LAND ON THIS NAME? >> YEAH, WE NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT. IT NEEDED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS AUTHENTIC AND THAT REALLY REPRESENTED THE BAY AREA WELL. AND FROM DAY ONE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE LISTENING TO FAN INPUT. AND THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ACTUALLY RAN A WHAT WOULD YOU NAME THE WNBA TEAM POLL. AND THERE WERE 200 ANSWERS, BUT THERE WAS ONE ANSWER THAT HAD 25% OF WRITTEN IN ANSWERS, AND IT WAS THE VALKYRIES. AND SO IT WAS ON OUR RADAR, REALLY, FROM THAT MOMENT FORWARD, AS A PART OF CONTENTION. AND I THINK THE BEAUTIFUL PART ABOUT IT IS VALKYRIES WORK TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE VERY, VERY AWARE OF THE FACT THAT OUR FANS, OUR COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, AND EVERYTHING WE GET A CHANCE TO REPRESENT WILL HAVE TO MOVE AS ONE TO FIND OUR SUCCESS. >> WHAT DOES THE NAME REPRESENT FOR THE TEAM AND OUR COMMUNITY? >> THIS TEAM REPRESENTS POWER. IT REPRESENTS COMMUNITY. IT REPRESENTS A RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF SOMETHING BETTER. YOU KNOW, TO ME, THIS BRAND AND THIS ORGANIZATION REALLY REPRESENTS LEANING INTO WHO THE BAY AREA IS. AND THIS IS A PLACE WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE LEAD THE WORLD. AND BEING BOTH PROGRESSIVE AND INNOVATIVE, WE MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. AND I KNOW THAT THIS BRAND IS GOING TO BE A CONNECTOR OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND A FUN ONE AT THAT. >> THIS IS COMING AT A REALLY SPECIAL TIME AS WE WATCH THE WNBA SOAR, THE 13TH TEAM AND THE FIRST TO JOIN THE LEAGUE SINCE 2008. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS? >> IT'S A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY TO BE HONEST, BUT WE ARE A PART OF THIS HISTORIC MOMENT IN THE WNBA AND IN WOMEN'S SPORTS IN TOTAL, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO PARTICIPATING IN THAT. BUT IT'S NONSTOP AT THIS POINT, RIGHT. YOU'RE SEEING RECORD BREAKING ATTENDANCES, VIEWERSHIP EXPANSION, AN ALL HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME. AND SO FOR US TO BE A KEY PART OF THAT WITH THE FIRST EXPANSION SINCE 2008 IS A GREAT DEAL. >> YOU DON'T EVEN PLAY FOR ANOTHER YEAR AND YOU'VE GOT 7500 SEASON TICKET DEPOSITS. WHAT DOES THIS SAY TO YOU ABOUT THE BAY AREA'S EXCITEMENT FOR THE TEAM THAT SAYS TWO THINGS. >> ONE, PEOPLE CANNOT WAIT FOR THE WNBA TO TAKE PART IN HERE, BUT TWO, THERE'S A GREAT AMOUNT OF TRUST IN THE GOLDEN STATE BRAND AND LEGACY AROUND THE COMMITMENT OF THIS OWNERSHIP GROUP AND THIS OFFICE BUILDING GREATNESS AND DOING THEIR BEST TO BE THE BEST ON AND OFF THE COURT. AND FANS TRUST THAT AND WE HOPE NOW THAT THEY'VE SEEN WE HAVE A NAME AND AN IDENTITY IN THE VALKYRIES, AND THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO BUILD THAT THEY FEEL EVEN MORE COMPELLED TO KEEP JOINING. >> WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS SURGING IN POPULARITY AND TICKET SALES HEADING INTO THIS WNBA SEASON ARE UP 93. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? >> TO ME, THAT'S SUCH A SIGNIFIER OF WHAT'S HAPPENING. CONSUMERS ARE PARTICIPATING IN A WAY THAT IS DRIVING THE MARKET. THEY'RE WATCHING, THEY'RE ATTENDING, THEY'RE LISTENING, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IT. THEY'RE DEMANDING, YOU KNOW, BROADCAST HAS CERTAIN ELEMENTS TO IT. THEY KNOW NOW THE POWER OF THEIR VOICE COLLECTIVELY. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, SHOWING UP REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND THIS WNBA COMMUNITY IS READY FOR THAT. WOMEN'S SPORTS FOR SO LONG HAS JUST BEEN THOUGHT OF AS WELL. IT'S THE WOMEN'S VERSION OF THE MEN'S SPORTS. WHEN THE REALITY OF WHAT WOMEN'S SPORTS IS COLLECTIVELY IS A MIX OF SPORT AND PURPOSE AND POP CULTURE. AND SO WHEN WE'RE INVITING IN CONSUMERS, IT IS DIFFERENT AND OFTEN THEY ARE DIFFERENT FANS. YES, THERE'S CROSSOVER BETWEEN THE TWO WHEN IT COMES TO SPORTS, BUT I DO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE VALUE SET AROUND WOMEN'S SPORTS WILL TRANSCEND INTO THE WHOLE SPORTS LANDSCAPE. >> AND YOU'RE CERTAINLY NO STRANGER TO BAY AREA SPORTS AS LEADERSHIP ROLES YOU'VE HAD WITH THE SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES AS WELL AS THE OAKLAND A'S. IS THIS REGION PERFECT FOR A WNBA TEAM? >> IT IS. YOU KNOW, THE BAY AREA LEADS THE WORLD'S, YOU KNOW, IN BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND, DOING WHAT'S RIGHT. AND SO WHEN WE CAN BUILD A PRODUCT TO ATTRACT THAT FANDOM, WHICH WE KNOW IS RELENTLESS, YOU KNOW, THIS THIS, THIS FAN GROUP DEMANDS GREATNESS, RIGHT? AND IT'S OUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT THEY FEEL THAT FROM US AT ALL TIMES. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TEAM NOW. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS IN THIS FIRST SEASON? >> FOR US, THE GOALS ARE TO BUILD FANDOM, RIGHT? >> THAT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO INVITE PEOPLE IN TO WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WANT TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES THROUGH THE VALKYRIE'S GET TO KNOW THEIR OTHER FANS, AND REALLY START LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT 2025 MEANS. OUR OTHER GOAL IS BUILDING A GREAT BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, AND BOTH OF THOSE THINGS SHOULD ALLOW US TO REALLY ATTRACT A GREAT TEAM ON THE COURT. WE JUST HIRED OUR FIRST GENERAL MANAGER IN OHAMA, AND HER JOB IS TO START FIGURING OUT WHAT FREE AGENCY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, WHAT OUR EXPANSION DRAFT STRATEGY IS GOING TO BE. SO WE'LL HAVE SOME INAUGURAL VALKYRIE SOON ENOUGH. >> WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN PLAYERS? >> WE'RE LOOKING FOR GOOD HUMAN BEINGS. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT TRULY GET ALONG WITH THEIR COWORKERS FIT INTO CULTURES ARE, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT PUSH PEOPLE TO BE BETTER AND OR BETTER THEMSELVES. AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO'S A LEAD AT THEIR CRAFT, AND WE'RE NOT WILLING TO NEGOTIATE ON EITHER SIDE OF THAT. >> WHAT KIND OF WARRIORS? VALKYRIES COLLABORATIONS AND CROSSOVER EVENTS DO YOU ANTICIPATE? >> WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT PROGRESSES FROM THE LOCKER ROOM BANTER AND SUPPORT. >> I MEAN THE WARRIORS PLAYERS AND COACHING STAFF. STEVE KERR HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE SUPPORTER FROM DAY ONE, AND WE HAVE ONE OF THE ULTIMATE ALLIES IN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL. AND STEPH CURRY, YOU KNOW HIM AND SABRINA HAVING A THREE POINT CONTEST LAST YEAR AT THE WNBA. ALL STAR AND HIS CONTINUED LEADERSHIP OF HOW HE TALKS ABOUT WOMEN'S SPORTS WORKS WITH, YOU KNOW, WNBA ATHLETES, ETC. WE ANTICIPATE A LOT OF REALLY FUN CONTENT COMING FROM THAT. >> AS YOU PREPARE TO LAUNCH THIS NEXT SEASON, WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AS IT KICKS OFF? >> FOR ME, I'M JUST MOST EXCITED ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER. THIS MEANS SOMETHING SO MUCH MORE THAN WINNING. EVEN THOUGH WE'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE WINNING, YOU KNOW, OUR SUCCESS IS REALLY GOING TO SET THE STANDARD IN THE BAY AREA FOR MANY THINGS. AND, YOU KNOW, ALSO BLAZED A TRAIL FOR HOPEFULLY OTHERS TO FOLLOW WHEN IT COMES TO STRATEGICALLY BUILDING A BUSINESS THAT CONTINUES THE GROWTH IN WOMEN'S SPORTS. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BE A SMALL PIECE OF THAT. >> ALL RIGHT. THE FANDOM IS ALREADY IN ACTION AND THEY'RE SNATCHING UP THESE T SHIRTS. LOOK AT THAT BRAND NEW HOT OFF THE PRESSES JUST RELEASED TODAY. GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES. AND YOU CAN SEE THE DESIGN WITH THE BRIDGE. AND LOOK AT THAT. DIFFERENT COLORS, SO YEAH, YOU CAN PICK THIS UP. PROBABLY AT THE FIRST BIG PARTY FANS ARE INVITED TO A VALKYRIES BLOCK PARTY AT THRIVE CITY. THAT'S GOING TO BE THIS SATURDAY, MAY 18TH AT 2
