It’s hard to properly state just how impressive the Golden State Valkyries were on defense this season. In just their second season, the Valkyries thoroughly dominated the field when it came to keeping points off the board. Golden State’s defensive rating was a staggering 99.1, towering over the competition: the next-lowest mark was 103.3, while the median was 108.3, and the league-worst rating was 116.0.
And so it was only fitting that the Valkyries were recognized for that excellence during award
season. On Thursday, the WNBA announced the WNBA All-Defense first and second teams, and the Valkyries took a whopping three of the 10 spots. Gabby Williams, the team’s 2026 All-Star representative, was named to the All-Defense first team, while Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes were selected to the second team.
For Williams, it was her third All-Defense selection, and her second straight season making the first team. For Burton and Stokes, it was their second team earning the accolade (Burton also made the second team last year, while Stokes made the second team all the way back in 2015).
If you’re curious as to how good the defensive matchup in the WNBA Finals will be, well, just know this: the Valkyries weren’t the only team with three representatives on the All-Defense squads. Their opponent in the Finals (which start tomorrow), the Atlanta Dream, also had a trio of players earning defensive recognition: Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard made the first team, while Jordin Canada was a second-team selection. With six of the 10 All-Defense players in the Finals, you can prepare yourself for some outstanding defensive possessions!
As for the other four spots, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Shakira Austin of the Washington Mystics made the first team, while Sonia Citron of the Mystics and Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty were honored on the second team.
