Tuesday morning’s unveiling of San Francisco's WNBA expansion team name and logo did not disappoint, as we learn that the team will be the Golden State Valkyries, with a kick-ass Bay Bridge-inspired purple logo.

When the news broke in October that the increasingly popular women’s basketball league, the WNBA, would be awarding San Francisco an expansion franchise in 2025, it was immediately confirmed that they would also be referred to as “Golden State,” just like the men’s team. That indicated that the still-unnamed team would sort of replicate the men’s Warriors team in terms of naming convention and color scheme, a typical WNBA formula also employed by Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, and Seattle Storm, whose logo is a reboot of that of the old Seattle Supersonics.    

But they went in a different direction, and in quite the artful way. NBC News reports that our WNBA team will be the Golden State Valkyries, a reference to the female warriors of Norse mythology, and with a very well-designed Bay Bridge inspired logo.

Can you take a wild guess what the Valkyries’ entrance music is going to be? Smells like victory, baby!

ESPN quotes a Tuesday morning press release from the new team that says the name is a homage to “warrior women who are fearless and unwavering — flying through air and sea alike." The release adds, "This brand is Golden State's modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce."

Sports logos are often very stupid (ahem, 1997/98 Golden State Warriors), but this one’s terrific and full of Bay Area and WNBA inside references. We have Bay Bridge cables and towers, and a visual reference to the Valkyries being the 13th WNBA team (a 14th team will also begin play in 2025, though the host city has not been named yet). The team colors anr black and "Valkyrie Violet," a bold but well-executed departure from the Warriors’ color scheme.

“Valkyries are this bad-ass group of women making change happen, making the impossible possible,” new Valkyries President Jess Smith told the New York Times. “These are legends to be made.”

The Times adds that the team was actually also considering “Golden Girls,” which is hilarious, but would probably have been too glib. Other names being considered were the Sea Lions, the Fog, and the Pioneers.

The Chronicle notes there will be a block party outside Chase Center this Saturday from 2 pm to 6 pm to celebrate the new team and name. E-40 is scheduled to perform, along with Goapele and several other Bay Area artists.

We have to say, the new team has absolutely knocked it out of the park with this excellent name, logo, and color scheme. Yes, pro sports expansion teams generally suck for their first season or two, but there is absolutely fan momentum here. Even before today’s logo announcement, the team had already secured 7,500 season ticket deposits.

For perspective, Chase Center has a capacity of 18,000. If all of those deposits lead to actual season ticket sales, effectively, the Chase Center is already 42% sold for all of the Valkyries’ home games, despite no games even being scheduled yet and a team that only exists on paper.

“We haven’t done anything yet!” Smith told the Times. “We don’t have players!”

Yet the Chronicle is already speculating that the Valkyries may sign free-agent-to-be WNBA star and Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu, who famously almost beat Steph Curry in a three-point shooting contest.

The WNBA's 2024 season kicks off today, with the seasons running from May to September. And the big headline for this season is the entrance of college star Caitlin Clark playing for the pros for the first time, playing for the Indiana Fever in a game against the Connecticut Sun. Tip off is at 4:30 pm PT.

Related: It’s Official: San Francisco Is Getting a WNBA Team, Starting In 2025 [SFist]

Image: @wnbagoldenstate via Twitter