Kayla Thornton to Miss Rest of WNBA Season After Surgery
Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton will be unable to continue in the WNBA season due to a knee injury that required surgery, the team announced this Friday.
Thornton suffered the injury to her right knee during a training session earlier in the week, just after the All-Star Game break, where the player made her first appearance.
The team confirmed that the surgery was a success.
Before the operation, Thornton was having a standout season, leading the team in points (14.0), rebounds (7.0), and steals (1.3) per game.
In this year’s All-Star Game, Thornton was a substitute on Team Clark, where he scored 15 points in 20 minutes.
The absence of Thornton represents a hard blow for the expansion franchise, as she had become a leader both on and off the court. She was selected by Golden State in the expansion draft in December, after winning a title with the New York Liberty in 2024.
