SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob said in October 2023 that his new franchise would win a WNBA championship within five years. After the Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the Finals at Chase Center on Oct. 31, Diya TV’s Ravi Kapur and other reporters asked Lacob what it took to make that goal a reality so quickly.

“Look, when I bought the Warriors, I said the same thing. We’re going to win a championship within five years,” Lacob said. “So, I figured, why not? It’s a goal. It’s setting a vision. It’s setting a course. It’s starting the culture.”

The Valkyries reached that goal in their second season, becoming the fastest North American professional expansion team since 1967 to win a championship, according to the team. Golden State also became the first expansion franchise to reach the WNBA playoffs in its inaugural season, in 2025.

Lacob credited the people he hired and the work they did to build the franchise. He praised team president Jess Smith, general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and head coach Natalie Nakase, saying they deserved “all the credit in the world.”

“I just hire some good people,” he said. “I’m not the guy coaching the team. I’m not the one doing everything in this arena, but I’ve got great people that are doing it, and they’re all with a common goal.”

That goal, Lacob said, shaped both the basketball operation and the wider organization. He described the franchise as a startup with the chance to establish its culture from the beginning. A friend who had invested in startups called the Valkyries “the best startup I’ve ever seen,” Lacob recalled. He said the team’s staff, players and coaches executed well, even as the roster faced challenges, including the absence of its starting center at the beginning of the season.

The championship came after a Game 7 in which Atlanta led 30-24 at halftime. Gabby Williams scored 28 of her game-high 30 points in the second half, helping Golden State take control late. She was named Finals MVP. Veronica Burton sealed the win with two free throws in the closing seconds.

Lacob called Williams a two-way player and said her performance showed why he considers her “the best player in the world.” He also singled out role players, including Kiah Stokes and Burton, and said the team needed contributions throughout the season to reach the title.

He was visibly moved by the crowd at Chase Center, where the Valkyries have sold out every home game since their first season. Lacob praised the fans’ support and said the championship carried meaning beyond the result on the court.

“I can’t even state how proud I am of that,” he said of what the title represented for women’s sports and women’s basketball. Lacob also spoke about his long involvement in the women’s game, including his role in starting the American Basketball League roughly 30 years ago, and said he had wanted to support women’s sports since raising his two daughters.

The Valkyries’ title arrived ahead of Lacob’s five-year timeline. He said he did not expect the team to win in its second season, but added that ambitious goals help establish a direction for an organization.

“If you’re not attracted to it, then we don’t want you,” he said of the team’s high expectations. “We want people that want to achieve greatness somehow, some way.”