Exclusive: Valkyries owner Joe Lacob breaks down expansion team’s historic first season

SAN FRANCISCO For all Joe Lacob has accomplished in his stake ventures and as the owner of the Warriors even he couldn t have envisioned how well his expansion Golden State Valkyries have played this season The Valkyries made WNBA history as the first expansion group to reach the playoffs in their first year They surpassed the Detroit Shock for the greater part wins by an expansion gang and set all-time attendance records by selling out every home challenge this season at the -seat Chase Center Their first-round playoff series against the league s top band the Minnesota Lynx begins the present day in Minneapolis a m ESPN We exceeded all of our goals and that s pretty hard to do because I set high goals Lacob the group s owner stated the Bay Area News Group this week I think we needed to be on the court competitive at least show our fans that we were that I don t think we expected to make the playoffs but we ve done that On the business side I think we demanded to fill the lower bowl at Chase Center and then try to make inroads into the upper bowl over time I think obviously we ve exceeded all that Two years ago Lacob paid a then-record million fee to own Golden State s expansion club The Valkyries became the league s first expansion group in more than years The bulk experts pegged the Valkyries to be one of the worst teams in the league before the season with popular gambling site BetMGM setting Golden State s win total at The Valkyries built their roster through the expansion draft with a mix of hard-nosed veterans mostly unknown international players and intriguing young talent Golden State also went into the season without its first-round draft pick Just Jocyt who opted to play overseas after being drafted in April The -year-old Lithuanian guard is expected to join the association next season Golden State Valkyrie head coach Natalie Nakase gestures to her players while playing against the Washington Mystics in the first quarter of their WNBA battle at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Saturday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Lacob credited coach Natalie Nakase the Associated Press coach of the year and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin for getting the basketball operations running fleetly I was really fortunate I hired a great coach I hired a great GM that picked really good players that fit complementary on the expansion band Lacob commented We didn t really get a major free agent so it s kind of unexpected in a big way I would say we ve just done a terrific job of coming together As a organization as a coaching staff and the fans majority of all have been incredibly supportive Lacob s experience operating the Warriors shaped his philosophy that success comes from building a strong infrastructure first that investing in leadership values and materials will set the foundation for the rest of the franchise in pro sports or in business I ve seen it all at this point Lacob stated That experience doing startups in the venture world it s what I do It s what I like doing Sequencing all the different things and motivating the unit by creating goals and standards while having a vision for everything On the court the Valkyries built their identity on stopping their opponents Golden State selected defensive stalwarts in the expansion draft such as forwards Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings and guard Veronica Burton who on Friday was named the league s majority of improved participant Nakase s background as a coach included stints as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces and the NBA s Los Angeles Clippers two teams that have routinely been among the top defenses in their respective leagues The identity we built was going to be that our defense was going to be what we hang our hats on Nakase a first-time head coach declared Our defense was what s going to tour on the road Our defense is going to be what we rely on every night It was going to be how we re going to win games On the business side Lacob and the front office knew building a fan base would require more than borrowing from the Warriors success It meant cultivating a new civilization and brand that Valkyries fans could gravitate to Golden State Valkyries' Veronica Burton and Golden State Valkyries' Carla Leite celebrate the go ahead basket against the Dallas Wings towards the end of the fourth quarter of a WNBA match at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Thursday Sept The Golden State Valkyries clinch a spot in the playoffs after defeating the Dallas Wings - Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group The core women s sports audience is much different than the core men s sports audience and it s additive Valkyries president Jess Smith explained the Bay Area News Group in June People assume it s a smaller audience but the reality is that it s just been understudied And what we re learning here in the Bay Area is that it s a large audience If you ve been to a Warriors championship and you ve been to a Valkyries meeting it s much different right That s intentional and it s built something that is unmatched Lacob lauded Nakase as everything I thought of her and more when I met her a year ago when I was interviewing her On Nyanin Lacob revealed The question was would she be able to architect a company and put the right pieces together to make for a winning combination There was no predicting that This is her first time doing it and I d say she s certainly passed that with flying colors Lacob set lofty goals for the franchise on Day saying last fall that he expected the Valkyries to win a championship within their first five years No one has felt those expectations more than Nakase It really wasn t that we want to it was that we have to win in five years Let s get that straight Joe doesn t waver in his expectations Nakase noted earlier this season Though he didn t expect the Valkyries to make the playoffs this year Lacob s five-year championship window hasn t changed I m going to leave it at five years No sense in putting undue pressures Lacob reported But certainly we re ahead of schedule and if we continue to do our job on the basketball operation side and sportsman improvement side we should be able to continue to improve the association in the next insufficient years Related Articles Valkyries lean on veteran experience ahead of first playoff contest Three Valkyries including Nakase honored in WNBA awards Valkyries playoff preview What to know about the Minnesota Lynx Valkyries fall to Napheesa Collier-led Lynx in regular season finale drop to No seed What Valkyries need to do to avoid playing league-best Lynx in first round But for all the talk about a long-term vision Lacob commented what stood out this year is more than the wins and losses It s been about the people the practices and the atmosphere the Valkyries built in Year I am so proud of this entire experience Lacob revealed lauding the work of the business and basketball staff to develop an identity The feeling of meeting day at Chase Center is what he prizes greater part The only thing I can compare it to is in Oakland for the Warriors in There hadn t been a winner there in years and the fans were just so rabid And I think it s the same kind of passion and vociferous loud experience he commented Every time I bring someone to the arena it s hard to explain to them what they re about to experience The Golden State Valkyries huddle during a time out during the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Friday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group