Two years after working behind the scenes to help the New York Liberty win a WNBA title, Ohemaa Nyanin was far more front-facing as the Valkyries’ championship general manager.
The second-year GM didn’t build a Finals-winning roster without scrutiny, either: Her draft-day trade of No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson for Marta Suarez – who was cut in training camp – left plenty of questions about what the Valkyries were planning.
That’s all forgotten now. Nyanin and the Valkyries are champions after winning Game 7 of the Finals over Atlanta on Saturday night at Chase Center. She recalled Tuesday the surreal feeling of seeing the game clock hit zero, making the second-year team champions.
“I took one second to just be like, oh, it just happened, and then I snap back into OK, I need to go see my people and give people hugs,” she said. “When you work really hard for something and you achieve it in any sense of the word, it’s sometimes an out-of-body experience.”
Golden State has a fascinating offseason ahead with two unrestricted free agents – Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes – and two restricted free agents in Cecilia Zandalasini and Laeticia Amihere.
During exit interviews on Monday, Hayes said she would love to return and Zandalasini noted that she felt comfortable in the Bay, and that mattered to her. All of their futures with the Valkyries will be resolved in the coming months, though, and free agency doesn’t begin until January.
“That’s the hope,” Nyanin said of those players returning, noting the team’s connectivity. “I can say that authentically, and I want to also give space to everybody to like go and figure out what is best for them, and be able to come back, and once free agency hits, and we have those conversations. Everybody gets to reflect with their villages to figure out if this is the place for them.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) speaks to the crowd as they celebrate their WNBA Championship after winning over the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
This spring, they brought in free agents Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes, arguably their two most important pieces to winning the title as Williams won Finals MVP and Stokes was key to slowing down Atlanta’s Angel Reese. They originally brought back nine players from last year’s roster, just slightly tweaking in the areas they needed.
Nyanin was mum about what the approach might be this time around.
“I need a little bit more time to reflect to be able to see how we attack next season,” she said. “… I’m gonna give myself a moment to just breathe. College has already started. I’m watching college games already, which is insane. But I’m also trying to give myself a moment to just breathe and touch grass.”
One of the biggest question marks for the roster this offseason is what happens with Sixth Player of the Year Janelle Salaun. Their second-leading scorer in the regular season, Salaun was benched for almost the entire WNBA Finals.
Salaun did not speak at exit interviews on Monday alongside her teammates, and the Valkyries pointed to family commitments. During the Finals, she expressed disappointment with her playing time being slashed. Nyanin said Salaun’s role with the team “still needs to be determined.”
“Janelle not being available for the interview yesterday wasn’t anything other than her wanting to be with her brother,” said Nyanin, referencing Salaun going to Charlotte to see her brother, Tidjane, play with the NBA’s Hornets. “It’s a very long season, and she’s getting ready to play in Turkey this year… A lot of these athletes play year-round, and so you can only have them for so much time after the end of the final game that you play, and then they quickly need to get a little bit of rest before they go into the next season.”
The Valkyries have the option to bring back most of their championship-winning roster, with Williams, Stokes, Veronica Burton, Kaila Charles, Juste Jocyte and Salaun all under contract, along with Iliana Rupert, whose return is up in the air.
How do they integrate more roster upgrades, developing talent and their core? That’ll be Nyanin’s biggest question this winter.
“We have to evaluate how we did it this season, and then really be thoughtful about the longevity of how we can continue to get to the Finals,” Nyanin said.
The Golden State Valkyries celebrate after winning against the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)