Talk About A Name Drop: WNBA Introduces The Golden State Valkyries To The World

New teams don't pop up every day in the world of sports. In fact, the WNBA has not had a new team since 2008, so there certainly is a lot riding on the success of the Golden State franchise, which announced its team name earlier in the day: the Golden State Valkyries.

The name originates from Norse mythology and refers to a "host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering -- flying through air and sea alike," a team release said. "This brand is Golden State's modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce."

The team's primary color is "Valkyrie Violet," which signifies "power, ambition, nobility, and women's empowerment, much like purple has been used symbolically in modern history," the team said.

"This moment is so much bigger than Golden State. It's so much bigger than the Valkyries," Valkyries President Jess Smith told "GMA." "What we are seeing happening in women's sports right now is just the beginning of the sustainability and incredible growth around the game and to have expansion in the W[NBA]."

The Golden State Valkyries are set to join the WNBA for the 2025 season, becoming the league's 13th active team and its first expansion franchise since 2008. The team will play home games at San Francisco's Chase Center and practice in Oakland at the former training facility for the Golden State Warriors, the Valkyries' NBA affiliate.

"It feels like we've arrived," Valkyries president Jess Smith told ESPN. "As much as I've loved saying 'WNBA Golden State,' that was a placeholder, and this is who we are. To be able to put that stake in the ground and begin building the brand equity and begin bringing our community together around this, it's a really special moment."

Smith, the organization's first hire, previously helped turn the NWSL's Angel City FC into what is considered the most successful commercial women's sports brand in the world.

"The beautiful thing about Valkyries is that it's plural and it's together," Smith said. "We need everybody -- the on-court visual representation of these athletes coming together in games, but how we win together, with partners and fans and broadcast and league and everyone else by our side, is really where the real impact will be. We hope that being a Valkyrie, and for folks to kind of find their inner Valkyrie and where they're going to be a piece of that puzzle, becomes a big piece of what makes this strong."

"We wanted to be inclusive of that Golden State name," Smith said. "We want to be inclusive of all women's sports, for people to know that we are a pillar of the strength of where this is going and how we can build and bring people together. But most importantly, we want to build a brand that is incredibly inclusive and one that people like to be a part of because of what it means through the strength of Golden State and the Valkyries. So we feel like every decision that we made along the way allowed us to nod to all of those audiences."

"We are going to be relentless in building this brand and building a successful brand and one that we think leads to pay equity by building a successful business, but it's going to take everybody coming together to do that," Smith said.

The team, which has surpassed 7,500 season-ticket deposits and last week introduced its newly hired general manager, Ohemaa Nyanin, will hold a Valkyries block party on Saturday at Thrive City in San Francisco to celebrate the launch of its identity.