SAN FRANCISCO – With the WNBA offseason in full swing, there hasn’t been much Golden State Valkyries chatter since their historic inaugural season.
There have been occasional sightings of Natalie Nakase, the Valkyries’ head coach, who was recently at the Boston Celtics practice facility catching up with her mentor Joe Mazzulla. Carla Leite and Tiffany Hayes went head-to-head overseas for their respective offseason teams. Kaitlyn Chen appeared on UConn star Azzi Fudd’s podcast.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding the WNBA’s contentious Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations that loom over the entire league, the team that became the first expansion franchise in history to make the playoffs is mostly doing their own thing.
### Veronica Burton: Doing a Little Bit of Everything
For the reigning WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year, Veronica Burton, the offseason has been busy with a variety of activities. Burton, along with teammates Kate Martin and Kayla Thornton, returned to the Bay Area for a series of motivational career talks at local schools this week.
Partnering with Career Girls, a nonprofit organization that provides educational resources, opportunities, and role models to help girls explore career paths, Burton spoke to students in sixth through eighth grade at Marina Middle School in San Francisco on Friday afternoon.
“Just to have the opportunity to touch base with the youth in the area is really special,” Burton said. “And they were amazing students. They were really attentive, and it’s just special to be a part of it.”
### Veronica Burton Shares Her Path to the Valkyries
Burton’s talk lasted an hour, during which she shared her journey to the WNBA. She spoke about her time at Northwestern University, her motivation to earn a scholarship to attend college without student debt, and the ups and downs of her professional basketball career.
Students had the chance to ask Burton career-based questions and eagerly awaited autographs, ready to get their memorabilia signed at a moment’s notice. Teachers who couldn’t attend sent students to snag a precious signature.
Reflecting on her early role models while growing up around the same age as the Marina students, Burton shared with ClutchPoints, “First and foremost, it was my family for sure. Watching my two older sisters play basketball, I just wanted to be like them. And then from a professional standpoint, I loved [Rajon] Rondo — I loved his game. Being from Boston, I think that was the perfect person to try to follow suit. Then of course, Maya Moore, Sue Bird — those were kind of the people I watched too.”
After her talk, Burton spent time chatting with the Marina Middle School educators and faculty, many of whom sported Valkyries gear — everything from official merchandise and homemade artifacts to simple violet attire representing the team.
### Veronica Burton Opens Up About Her Offseason
Following the school visit, Burton spoke briefly with ClutchPoints about her offseason and what she’s been up to since the Valkyries were eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx.
Just a day before, Burton, Martin, and Thornton attended the Golden State Warriors’ home opener, an overtime thriller against the Denver Nuggets.
“To kind of just be a part of the Golden State family now, it hits differently after finishing our season and experiencing that,” Burton said. “It was neat, a little less pressure, a little less fatigue than when we were back in Chase Center,” she joked.
Besides attending the Warriors’ opener, Burton spent some quality time in Boston, her hometown.
“Boston is home base for me,” she said. “So being able to go home and see some family was refreshing.”
While in New England, Burton and coach Nakase visited the Celtics’ practice facility last week to soak in the “intensity” of the NBA team’s environment.
“Being able to see firsthand inside the Celtics practice was really dope. And to see coach Nat and Joe Mazzulla and their relationship was really neat and a great experience,” Burton told ClutchPoints.
She noted the valuable lessons she could take away from the visit: “Honestly, their intensity level. It was the last day of training camp, so seeing how they run things and the pace at which they play, there’s definitely a lot of individual stuff to take away from them.”
### Looking Ahead to Unrivaled and the Next Season
Burton is currently preparing for her first season in Unrivaled, the rising 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Though she doesn’t know her team yet, she’s excited for the new challenge.
“It will be unique for me, kind of a different style of play, but something I’m looking forward to,” Burton shared.
### The Road to the 2026 WNBA Season
The 2026 WNBA season remains clouded in uncertainty as the WNBA and WNBPA have yet to finalize a new CBA. With an October 31 deadline quickly approaching, a resolution seems doubtful. This dispute has attracted national attention, with more than 70 legislators signing a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, urging the league “to bargain in good faith to reach a fair (Collective Bargaining Agreement) in a timely manner.”
Burton and the Valkyries did not field questions about the ongoing negotiations but did speak about their preparations for next season.
“Obviously, we’re not in season, but you feel like you’re never really in a complete offseason,” Burton said. “You’re always working, so I think we got a taste of a lot this season. We set kind of the foundation for who we are and who we want to be. And so, we know our goals and we’re working toward them every day.”
Training camp won’t begin until next April, giving Burton and the Valkyries several months to prepare. Until then, she’ll focus on her Unrivaled debut, spending time with friends and family, and engaging with the community through programs like Career Girls.
Finally, Burton was asked to compare the noise levels between the Warriors’ crowd and the raucous Ballhalla fans.
“Oh, don’t get me in trouble,” she laughed. “I love Ballhalla, so I’m always rocking Ballhalla.”
https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/golden-state-valkyries/valkyries-veronica-burton-opens-up-1st-golden-state-offseason-unrivaled-debut
