Golden State Valkyries Make History in the WNBA Draft
In a landmark move, the Golden State Valkyries selected Lithuanian guard Justė Jocytė with the fifth pick in the WNBA draft on Monday night. This marks the first draft selection for an expansion team since 2008.
Jocytė also became the tenth international player to join the Valkyries, the most international players on a WNBA team.
We don’t try to lean heavily on international players; it’s simply how we evaluate the talent available.
Ohemaa Nyanin, General Manager of the Valkyries
Ohemaa Nyanin, general manager of the Valkyries, emphasized that the team’s strategy was not based on the mass hiring of international players, although seven were selected in the December expansion draft. Nyanin also considers that this strategy will not necessarily define the approach of the next expansion teams in Toronto and Portland.
It remains to be seen after this first season whether what we did in the expansion draft, free agency, and the college draft will be the path for other expansion teams. We feel very confident in our path… I’m curious to see how other teams will do.
Ohemaa Nyanin
Jocytė, a 19-year-old, 1.83-meter-tall guard, averaged 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 21 games with Lyon ASVEL Feminin of France during the 2024-25 season, playing alongside the second draft pick, Dominique Malonga.
At just 14 years old, Jocytė became the youngest athlete to play in the EuroLeague. Her playmaking skills and reliable shooting placed her at the top of the Valkyries’ list, but her maturity and professional experience made her a desirable choice for the team in its inaugural season.
We want to be competitive in the first year. Someone who comes and is not intimidated by the situation and who has seen the bright lights of Europe, I think that’s very important. The lights at Chase Center will be super bright, and in all the other arenas we play in. Being competitive at such a young age and playing with and against other athletes in the WNBA ecosystem is incredible.
Ohemaa Nyanin
The Valkyries also selected Shyanne Sellers from Maryland with the 17th pick and Kaitlyn Chen from UConn with the 30th pick.
Two days before the draft, Nyanin indicated that they were not necessarily looking for the automatic face of the franchise during the draft process, but rather preferred that person to emerge through training camp.
It is in the training camp where they hope to build the rest of their roster, form their true identity, and finalize a team that could set the standard for expansion teams in the future.
The training camp will help us define ourselves. The goal of the camp is to bring competitive athletes and not assume that they will be part of our team and have the most competitive training camp to then deserve who wears our jersey on May 16.
Ohemaa Nyanin
