Valkyries Announce Update After Injury Scare

Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton suffered an apparent injury during the team's win against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, June 29. The injury occurred in the third quarter when Thornton collided with Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, causing her to fall and grab her neck.

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase expressed minimal concern about Thornton's status postgame, stating, "She's being evaluated and I think she's fine." Thornton exited the game but recovered in time to start the following Saturday's game against the Minnesota Lynx.

In the game against the Lynx, Thornton played 34 minutes, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds. Following this performance, Coach Nakase advocated strongly for Thornton to be selected as a WNBA All-Star reserve. Nakase highlighted Thornton's clutch performances: "Sparks, she closed the game. In Chicago, she closed the game with a three. Seattle, she closed the game with a three. Washington, she closed with a 4-point play. That's pretty reliable down the stretch."

Thornton leads the Valkyries in scoring (14.9 points per game) and rebounding (7.1 rebounds per game). She was particularly vital during the team's successful June (7-4 record), averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Nakase has previously praised Thornton's reliability and work ethic, noting last month, "KT is super reliable. She's built confidence through her hard work. I love when people show me that they want to be that person. They don't just talk about it." Thornton has started all 17 of the Valkyries' games this season.