Justē Jocytē, the first-ever draft pick of the Golden State Valkyries, is ready to bid goodbye to Ballhalla

The Golden State Valkyries are the 2026 WNBA champions, a landmark accomplishment made more unusual by the numbers behind it. In a seven-game WNBA Finals, they shot under 35 percent from the field and just about 26 percent from 3-point range, yet still found enough to finish the job.

That contrast helps explain why improved shooting is likely to sit near the top of Golden State’s to-do list as it pursues a repeat. Teams that win at the highest level often do so by surviving difficult stretches, but over a full season and another playoff run, poor efficiency usually leaves little room for error. The margin shrinks, possessions matter more, and every missed open look can feel bigger.

Jocytė’s place in that story is notable because she was the Valkyries’ first-ever draft pick. As the franchise moves on from Ballhalla, her name carries the sense of a beginning even as the champions look to defend a title that already separates them from almost everyone else in the league.

For a reigning champion, the next challenge is not only proving the first run was real, but showing the same group can solve new problems once opponents have a full year to study them. Shot selection, spacing and the ability to convert in big moments become even more important when every rival is chasing the standard you set.

So the questions around Golden State are easy to frame: can the Valkyries turn their title-winning resilience into a sharper offense, and what role will Jocytė play in the franchise’s next step? Those answers will shape whether this championship feels like a peak or the start of something larger.