Kiah Stokes made sure the Golden State Valkyries’ championship parade came with a little extra message for ESPN, and the veteran center is now opening up about what was behind it.
Stokes turned heads at Wednesday’s parade by wearing a T-shirt featuring a printout of ESPN’s analytics, which had not exactly been kind to Golden State’s title chances during the season. Appearing on “In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams,” Stokes explained exactly where the idea came from.
“I just remember during the season, right before All-Star, ESPN released whatever that was, and we were second at the time in the standings. And I was like, okay, we’re second, but like, you can’t even give us any type of shot to win a championship,” Stokes said. “So I just felt like a type of way. So at the time, I took a screenshot. You never know, you may or may not need it, depending on how the season ends up.”
“And then when we won, I was like, yeah, let me just throw it on the shirt. Talk a little mess here and there, but I just, I gotta be a little bit petty,” she added.
Williams compared the move to A’ja Wilson’s famous parade shirt from 2023, when the Las Vegas Aces star trolled MVP voters by wearing a shirt that displayed her voting numbers. Stokes, who was Wilson’s teammate in Las Vegas, admitted she picked up some of that pettiness during her time with the Aces.
ESPN, for its part, took the jab in stride. The network responded with a new chart showing the Valkyries at 100% odds, while also noting that it had given Golden State the top title odds as of Aug. 10.
Stokes certainly earned the right to have some fun. The Valkyries center was a defensive force throughout the WNBA Finals, setting a record for the most blocks in a single Finals series. She also tied Lisa Leslie for the longest streak of games with three or more blocks in a single postseason.
Golden State went on to beat the Atlanta Dream in seven games to claim the first championship in franchise history, in just its second season.
For Stokes, it marked her fourth WNBA title, after winning three with the Aces.