\u201cI\u2019m just gutted for her,\u201d said Lindsay Myers, one of the team\u2019s many die-hard fans. While Myers resides in Sacramento, she and her wife are proud season ticket holders and frequently travel to San Francisco to watch the Valkyries play. \u201c[Thornton] is having a career season. \u2026 For that season to be cut short, it\u2019s really heartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been an incredible season for Thornton. In addition to playing a career-high 30 minutes per game, she was named an All-Star earlier this month for the first time in her nine-year WNBA career. It\u2019s also the first time that Thornton has been in a starting lineup, a \u201cleadership role\u201d that Myers said the forward has flourished in.<\/p>\n Myers said she\u2019s worried about the Valkyries\u2019 chances of getting to the playoffs with Thornton off the court. While she has faith in the team\u2019s grit, she said it\u2019s going to be a lot harder as the players deal with unexpected changes to their roster and the loss of a key player.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re at a point where you want your team to start really gelling, and that takes leadership and relationships and time,\u201d Myers said. \u201cBut these women must have all gone in 100% to go as hard as they\u2019ve gone. \u2026 We just have to trust them to keep doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n Since their introduction as the league\u2019s newest team in nearly 20 years, the Valkyries have had an intense season both on and off the court. They sold out 11 home games at the Chase Center and have the ninth-best record in the WNBA at 10\u201312. They play against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at \u201cBallhalla\u201d on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/20250516_ValkyriesHomeOpener_GC-63_qed.jpg\")