The Golden State Valkyries have championship expectations for the 2026 season. Everything has been going to plan so far with Golden State beating Dallas to advance to the semifinals. One Valkyries player just won a major award on the same day as Game 1 of their semifinals series.
Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün has been named the WNBA's Sixth Player of the Year, per The Athletic's Annie Costabile.
Salaün is now the first player in Valkyries franchise history to win the award. She won the award unanimously, receiving all 74 votes from a national panel of broadcasters and sportswriters. Salaün qualified for the award by playing more games as a reserve than she did as a starter in 2026.
The second-year forward led all WNBA bench players with at least 20 games played a whopping 12.7 points per game this season. That put her in second place for points on the team behind only Gabby Williams at 14.4 points per game. Salaün was a reserve in every one of her 40 appearances this season. She also set WNBA single-season records for points (509), 3-pointers made (93), and games with at least 10 points (27) by a reserve player.
Article Continues BelowSurprisingly, Salaün was quite quiet in the first round of the playoffs against the Wings. She only managed 5.7 points per game in just 19.7 minutes per game off the bench.
The Valkyries will need every single player, including their bench stars like Salaün, at their best against the Aces. Las Vegas is an established championship contender in the WNBA, having won three of the last four WNBA Finals titles.
It will be exciting to see if Golden State can get out to a hot start in Game 1 on Sunday.
Game 1 of Valkyries vs. Aces tips off at 4 p.m. ET from Ballhalla.