The cameras have found Gabby Williams. They have followed Veronica Burton. And they have captured Kiah Stokes doing the kind of dirty work that has made her one of the Golden State Valkyries‘ most indispensable players.
(Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images)
Their names have become synonymous with a franchise that has rewritten expectations, challenged the WNBA’s established powers and turned a remarkable expansion story into a championship pursuit.
Williams has supplied the star power, versatility and competitive fire. Burton has become the steady hand, directing an offense while establishing herself as one of the league’s most respected defenders. Stokes has anchored the interior, protecting the rim, controlling the glass and providing the veteran presence championship teams demand.
Big three in three.
Ballhalla let’s hear it for tonight’s players of the game https://t.co/hNmgzcgSzL
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) October 10, 2026
They have earned their recognition, their headlines and their moments in front of the microphones.
But championship teams are rarely built by the women who receive the most attention.
Behind every celebrated performance are contributions that don’t always command a television interview. Some players have accepted smaller roles, survived uncertain professional futures, and discovered that their greatest value sometimes comes from doing what nobody else wants to do.
Unconventional Journeys
Kaila Charles, Kaitlyn Chen and Janelle Salaün arrived with different backgrounds, different expectations and different definitions of what success might look like. One fought to preserve her place in professional basketball. Another had to earn a second opportunity with the very organization that initially let her go. The third crossed an ocean to establish herself in a league where nothing was guaranteed.
Yet each reflects something fundamental about the culture general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and coach Natalie Nakase have built: Opportunity must be earned, sacrifice must be embraced, and individual recognition can never matter more than collective success.
Thursday’s 80-69 loss to Atlanta in Game 6 only reinforced how quickly circumstances can change. Golden State surrendered 32 first-quarter points, fell behind by 20 at halftime and watched its first opportunity to clinch the championship disappear.
Now, with the series tied 3-3, the Valkyries return home for Saturday’s deciding Game 7.
The spotlight will naturally return to their biggest names.
For a moment, however, it could also belong to three women who have helped brighten the spotlight throughout the season.
Kaila Charles: The Persistence Behind the Purpose
Photo: Donnoir Vinculado/Ballislife.com
Before she joined Golden State’s championship pursuit, Charles understood something about professional basketball that rarely makes the highlight reels.
Talent does not guarantee security.
The former Maryland standout entered the WNBA in 2020 as a second-round draft pick of the Connecticut Sun, carrying the credentials of an accomplished college career and the ambition of establishing herself among the world’s best players.
But professional basketball quickly became an exercise in adaptation.
Charles moved through multiple organizations, navigating the uncertainty that accompanies life on the margins of WNBA rosters. Every opportunity came with the knowledge that another roster decision could change her future.
When Golden State began assembling its identity, Charles represented the kind of player whose value could be difficult to measure through scoring averages alone.
Her initial opportunity with the Valkyries came through short-term contracts in 2025. Nothing was promised. Her future depended on demonstrating that she could contribute within a system built around defensive accountability, physical toughness and versatility.
Put it right on the money
Kaila Charles threads the needle on a perfect pass to Tiffany Hayes
GSV-ATL | USA Network | Peacock | #2026WNBAFinals | #WNBASeason30
Tap to watch: https://t.co/gpV3HFNY32 https://t.co/WPidqMg35r
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 29, 2026
Proving She Belongs
Charles could defend multiple positions, compete for rebounds, provide energy without demanding offensive touches and accept assignments that required more effort than recognition.
Those qualities eventually became part of Golden State’s identity.
Charles appeared in all 44 regular-season games in 2026, averaging 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while providing valuable minutes across different lineup combinations.
Her contributions have become particularly important during the Finals, where Atlanta’s physicality and aggressive perimeter defense have forced Nakase to reconsider her rotations.
After Charles supplied valuable energy in Game 1, Nakase emphasized the importance of maintaining “that same fight, but also some patience,” particularly against a Dream defense determined to crowd the paint.
It was a revealing assessment of what Charles brings to the organization. Her energy has never been questioned. Learning when to attack, when to exercise restraint and how to channel that aggression into productive possessions has made her more valuable.
That trust became apparent when Nakase inserted Charles into the starting lineup during the Finals, an adjustment that helped Golden State regain its defensive identity and win Games 4 and 5.
For Charles, reaching the Finals means more than the chance to win a championship.
It represents validation for every uncertain contract, every unfamiliar locker room and every moment when her professional future appeared less than secure.
She did not arrive in Golden State as a franchise cornerstone.
She became something equally meaningful: a player the franchise could depend on.
Kaitlyn Chen: The Second Chance That Became Something More
Photo: Donnoir Vinculado/Ballislife.com
Chen already knew what winning looked like before she arrived in Golden State.
She had experienced the intensity of championship basketball at Connecticut, helping the Huskies capture the 2025 national championship after beginning her collegiate career at Princeton.
But college success offered no guarantee of a permanent place in the WNBA.
Selected in the third round of the 2025 WNBA draft, Chen faced the harsh reality of a league with limited roster positions and little patience for development.
Golden State initially waived her.
For some players, that moment can represent the beginning of an extended search for another opportunity. For Chen, it became the beginning of a relationship with an organization that eventually recognized what she could offer.
Her return gave the Valkyries another intelligent ballhandler, a disciplined defender and a guard whose understanding of spacing and decision-making fit Nakase’s philosophy.
Chen did not need to dominate possessions to influence games.
She needed to make the correct reads, protect the basketball, maintain defensive pressure and provide stability when Burton needed a rest.
Her development became increasingly apparent during the 2026 season.
On July 6, Chen delivered 14 points and four assists in a defensive-minded win over Washington, leading Golden State in both categories while showing her offensive responsibilities could expand when circumstances demanded it.
Another significant moment came in September, when she scored 18 points in Golden State’s comeback victory over Los Angeles, including 14 in the fourth quarter.
Those performances illustrated a player who had grown beyond merely surviving on a WNBA roster.
Kaitlyn Chen lit the floor in tonight’s dub in D.C. for the @valkyries
She reeled in 14 PTS and 4 AST, while leading in points-made in the fourth quarter!
#WNBASeason30 https://t.co/Gr5oIM39pa
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 7, 2026
Defying the Odds
Chen appeared in all 44 regular-season games in 2026, reflecting her availability and the trust she earned within the organization.
Her relationship with Nakase also carries a personal dimension that extends beyond basketball.
Both women understand the significance of Asian American representation in a league where their respective journeys have helped challenge longstanding barriers.
Nakase has spoken with particular admiration about Chen’s opportunity to compete at the highest level, describing the young guard as “a million times better than me” while reflecting on her own aspirations of playing in the WNBA.
The comment revealed something beyond a coach evaluating a reserve guard. Nakase recognizes the significance of Chen’s opportunity, and Chen has demonstrated that she intends to make the most of it.
Her postseason responsibilities have been more limited, but that does not diminish the importance of her development.
The player who once had to convince Golden State she belonged now enters the final game of the season as part of the group that helped carry the franchise there.
KAITLYN CHEN AT THE BUZZER https://t.co/x3qE4VmU0x
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) October 20, 2026
Janelle Salaün: From International Prospect to Championship Contributor
Photo: Donnoir Vinculado/Ballislife.com
Salaün’s path to Golden State began thousands of miles from the Bay Area.
Raised in France and developed through European professional basketball, Salaün arrived in the WNBA without the traditional recognition attached to an American college star or a celebrated draft selection.
She had to introduce herself on the court.
Golden State saw a young forward with size, shooting ability, mobility and the competitive instincts necessary to thrive in Nakase’s demanding system.
Salaün responded with an impressive inaugural WNBA season in 2025, averaging 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while earning All-Rookie recognition.
She also established herself as one of the franchise’s most productive perimeter shooters.
But her development did not stop there.
During the 2026 regular season, Salaün embraced a reserve role and became one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons off the bench.
She averaged 12.7 points while shooting 39.2% from 3-point range, connecting on a franchise-record 93 shots from beyond the arc.
Her contributions earned her unanimous Sixth Player of the Year recognition, an extraordinary accomplishment for a player who entered the league without the fanfare afforded to many of her contemporaries.
6POY for a reason
Janelle Salaün handing out buckets from behind the arc and in the lane https://t.co/rmyInfdSrX
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 22, 2026
Beyond the Shooting Percentages
Her perimeter presence creates space for Williams to attack, gives Burton another reliable offensive option and forces opponents to account for scoring threats beyond the starting lineup.
She also represents the international character of a franchise willing to search beyond conventional talent pipelines.
For Golden State, her development validates a philosophy built around identifying players who fit a collective system rather than simply collecting recognizable names.
Perhaps her greatest test, however, has come during the postseason.
Despite her regular-season accomplishments, Salaün has watched her responsibilities fluctuate as Nakase has adjusted her rotation to counter Atlanta’s physicality and offensive strengths.
Before Game 2, Nakase credited Salaün with accepting the changes without letting them affect her preparation.
“Credit to her of understanding we’ve obviously made some adjustments,” Nakase said, emphasizing that Salaün remained fresh and prepared.
That kind of sacrifice rarely accompanies individual awards.
The Sixth Player of the Year has been asked to embrace a diminished postseason role while remaining ready to contribute whenever her number is called.
She did not play in Game 5 or 6 of the Finals, another reminder that postseason opportunities can be unpredictable even for accomplished players.
But her regular-season contributions helped create the depth that carried Golden State into October.
The international prospect who arrived looking for an opportunity now has the chance to finish her second WNBA season as a champion.
Three Names, One Shared Identity
The Valkyries’ journey has never been exclusively about one player, one performance or one moment.
That philosophy has been tested throughout the season and especially during a Finals series in which Atlanta’s physicality, rebounding and offensive firepower have forced Golden State to confront its limitations.
Nakase has shortened her rotation at critical moments, relying more heavily on established veterans as the stakes have increased.
For players such as Charles, Chen and Salaün, that can mean fewer minutes, different responsibilities and the challenge of remaining prepared without knowing precisely when their next opportunity will arrive.
But their contributions to this championship pursuit cannot be measured exclusively by what happens Saturday night.
Helping Build a Foundation
Nakase has repeatedly emphasized the importance of depth, calling it the team’s “superpower” and acknowledging that Golden State’s ability to use a broader rotation has helped manage the physical demands of a long season.
Charles provided resilience and versatility. Chen supplied intelligence, patience and dependable guard play. Salaün brought scoring, international experience and the willingness to flourish in a supporting role.
Three different journeys, personalities, and paths to the same destination.
And perhaps that is what makes Golden State’s story so compelling.
The Valkyries have shown that a franchise does not need to wait years to establish an identity. It needs the right people, a shared commitment and the courage to believe that players overlooked elsewhere might become essential pieces of something extraordinary.
Saturday night, the cameras will again find Williams, Burton and Stokes.
They should.
But somewhere within Golden State’s locker room will be three other women whose contributions deserve recognition regardless of the final score.
Because long before the Valkyries reached the brink of a championship, Kaila Charles, Kaitlyn Chen and Janelle Salaün helped establish what it would take to get there.
And that might be their most important contribution of all.
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez
The post Beyond the Spotlight: 3 Unsung Heroes Behind the Valkyries’ WNBA Finals Run appeared first on Ballislife.com.
