The Golden State Valkyries have unveiled their long-awaited violet jerseys for the 2026 WNBA season. Women's Fastbreak on SI got an exclusive first look and an interview with team President Jess Smith.
Golden State's bold identity was perfectly represented by its iconic violet and black color scheme. While the Valkyries didn't have a violet jersey in 2025, they have released a violet Nike Explorer Edition jersey for their 2026 campaign.
Golden State Valkyries' violet Nike Explorer Edition jersey | Photo credit: courtesy of Golden State Valkyriesthe Valkyries' online shop.. The violet color reflects the team's commitment to the Bay Area's fan base. Wing elements from the Valkyries' primary icon sit beneath the arms, and lines on the shorts represent cables from the Bay Bridge, which bridges San Francisco and Oakland. There's an infusion of gold on the sides of the uniform and on the waistband, which is a nod to the Golden State name and tertiary color. And the “Golden State” across the chest represents the Bay Area and California's gold-studded sports culture. Golden State Valkyries violet Nike Explorer Edition jesey | Photo credit: courtesy of Golden State Valkyries Not only did Golden State exceed expectations by making the WNBA postseason in 2025, but their distinct team culture was adopted by their passionate fan base, turning San Francisco's Chase Center into arguablythe Valkyries' online shop.Violet is such a bold and uncommon choice for a sports team uniform. So I’m wondering what you want people to think about when they see violet, both at Valkyries games and throughout the Bay Area? JS: It goes back to when we launched our brand, and even chose to build our team with violet as our color. One of the opportunities for us was to build something where, when you saw the color, you were able to think of the Valkyries. You were able to think of this team, the community, and everything that we were building. And obviously, we have to do the work to make that worthy.But our fans have called for this since the moment our brand came out two years ago. The minute the brand was released, everyone was all over the internet: "Please make a violet jersey!" It was just this huge moment. So for us, this really becomes that next iteration of our brand, where it solidifies on the court, and then our fans are able to look at this as a historic staple of who we are. This is a team that should be listening to what people want, so everything that we’ve done has always been in listening to our fans. Was that desire to listen part of your intention when deciding to make violet one of the Valkyries' colors? JS: Absolutely. It was about how to make sure when somebody sees just a color, whether our logo’s on it or not, that they feel connected to what we’re building, or at least aware of what we’re building. Or if you see a sea of violet, you’re like, "Why is everyone wearing this color?" And then come to find out, "Oh, because there’s this badass WNBA team that has the most incredible fan experience down the street."So it has definitely been, when people reflect and ask what decisions were made to bring the team to where they are today, choosing that colorway was a huge opportunity for us. I’m actually born and raised in the Bay Area, and have a Bay Bridge tattoo. So the way I think of it is the Bay Bridge is connecting the Bay Area, where I’m from, and where I went to college in San Francisco . So I’m wondering how important it was for you to feel like this team, this jersey, belongs to the entire Bay Area as opposed to just San Francisco? And do you feel like the bridge itself is representative of that? JS: Totally. The bridge cables—those are also the wings of the Valkyrie—and the beauty of what a bridge is, it’s a connector, right? So, for us, we never want to lose sight of the geography of our region. Making sure that we represent the entire Bay Area, but also what our intentions are as we make decisions.Whether they’re fun and connecting different parts of the Bay through brand things, or doing community impact work, especially through the Golden State Foundation. Our practice facility is actually in Oakland. So we quite literally cross the bridge consistently, whether we’re playing games at Chase Center or our everyday front office being in Oakland. So the Bay Bridge is, for one, beautiful. But it truly is a representation of our brand and how it can span across the region.JS: We are so excited. I cannot tell you the number of times I or others have run into a fan and just said, "Man, I could really go for a Valkyries game." What this fan base and community have done has shifted the world and shown what’s possible, because that’s how the Bay operates. We don’t wait for someone to tell us what to do. We love to be the first to try something. And they’ve really come together to create something historic and quite beautiful. So we cannot wait. And we think that this jersey is like a love letter to them; an opportunity for us to serve them in so many ways. I can’t wait to see it on our fans, but I really can’t wait to see it on our players as they’re running up and down the court.Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco , where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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