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Meet the 11 WNBA players the Golden State Valkyries selected in the expansion draft

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Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

The inaugural team is headlined by Kate Martin, Temi Fagbenle, Veronica Burton, Monique Billings, and several other key WNBA rotation players.

The picks are in! The Golden State Valkyries — the WNBA’s newest team — has made their official expansion draft selections, with 11 players being picked.

Each existing WNBA team was able to protect six players from their roster, and the Valkyries subsequently selected one unprotected player from each team (with the exception of the Seattle Storm).

Here’s the full list of players who were selected, and will thus make up the inaugural Valkyries roster:

Monique Billings, forward, Phoenix Mercury

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Career stats: 6.2 points, 5.8 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game
2024 stats: 87.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists in 22.8 minutes per game

Julie Vanloo, guard, Washington Mystics

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

2024 stats: 7.4 points (34.6% shooting, 32.45 from three), 4.2 assists

Kate Martin, guard, Las Vegas Aces

Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images

2024 stats: 2.6 points, 1.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes

Kayla Thornton, forward, New York Liberty

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Career stats: 7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 23.5 minutes per game
2024 stats: 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists in 20 minutes per game

Carla Leite, Dallas Wings

Photo by Sylvain Dionisio ATPImages/Getty Images

Career stats: N/A

Note: At just 20 years old, Carla Leite is an elite French prospect. Whether or not she’ll make the move to the U.S. remains to be seen, but it’s undeniable that Leite has enormous potential.

Iliana Rupert, Atlanta Dream

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Career stats: 2.7 points (42% shooting, 33.3% from three), 2.1 rebounds
2024 stats: N/A (sat out to prepare for Olympics)

Rupert didn’t play in the WNBA during the 2024 season, but she does have two years of WNBA experience, playing for the Las Vegas Aces in 2022 and the Atlanta Dream in 2023. In her 2022 stint, she won a championship with the Aces alongside Natalie Nakase, who was an assistant coach at the time.

Maria Conde, Chicago Sky

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Career stats: N/A

Note: Conde hasn’t played in the WNBA yet, but she’s an elite European prospect that the Valkyries will have the rights to moving forward. The Sky drafted Conde as the No. 27 overall pick in the 2019 Draft. She currently plays for ZVVZ USK Praha and was recently named EuroLeague MVP in November.

Temi Fagbenle, Indiana Fever

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Career stats: 3.9 points (51% shooting), 2.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes
2024 stats: 6.4 points (50.9% shooting), 4.7 rebounds in 18.9 minutes

Veronica Burton, Connecticut Sun

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Career stats: 2.7 points (36.1%), 1.6 rebounds, 2 assists in 14 minutes
2024 stats: 3.1 points (32.6%), 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists in 12.7 minutes

Stephanie Talbot, Los Angeles Sparks

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Career stats: 4.6 points (43% FG, 36% from three), 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 16.6 minutes 2024 stats: 3.5 points (39.5% FG, 26% from three), 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 16.2 minutes

Cecilia Zandalasini, Minnesota Lynx

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Career stats: 4.9 points (42.9% FG, 41.5% from three), 1.4 rebounds, 1 assist in 13.7 minutes 2024 stats: 4.6 points (45.3% FG, 44.3% from three), 1.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists in 12.2 minutes