Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton: ‘These are the moments I prayed for’
After getting waived by the Dallas Wings in 2024, she questioned whether she even belonged in the WNBA. Now she has found a home in ‘Ballhalla.’
During her fifth season in the WNBA, Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton will share a look into her life on and off the court in a monthly video diary on Andscape.
Golden State Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton’s path to becoming a WNBA starter wasn’t linear.
Ten games into the Valkyries’ 2026 season, the 25-year-old is averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game while serving as the engine of Golden State’s offense, continuing the upward trajectory that made her the WNBA Most Improved Player a year ago. However, in the years since the Dallas Wings selected Burton seventh overall in the 2022 WNBA draft, the former Northwestern University standout has faced periods of uncertainty trying to establish herself as a professional athlete.
After playing two seasons with Dallas, Burton was waived by the Wings in May 2024. She signed a contract with the Connecticut Sun for the rest of the season before the Valkyries selected her in the WNBA expansion draft in December 2024.
According to Burton, a fresh start across the country from her hometown of Newton, Massachusetts, was just what she needed.
“It was just like, ‘This is the opportunity. It’s now or never for me to dive into it,’” Burton said. “And so, from that day, I had my journal, and I was just like, ‘I’m gonna dominate, whatever that looks like. I’m gonna dominate, and I have to lean into it.’”
She finished the 2025 season as the Valkyries’ leading scorer, averaging a career-high 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists. She was the only Valkyries player to start all 44 games last season, and the Valkyries became the first expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs during its inaugural season.
The catalyst for Burton’s improvement was spending the 2024-25 offseason on the Bendigo Spirit team in the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia, helping the franchise win a championship last March.
“I already thought I was a decent shooter, but I got over there and I was probably the worst one on the team in terms of numbers, and they even have centers,” Burton said. “Like, the post players are shooting better numbers than I am. It was just a little bit of a reality check. I shot even fine in Connecticut, but it was just like, ‘OK, I have so much room to grow.’”
She made a habit of getting additional shots up before practice and spending extra time in the weight room when she could. Those daily investments sharpened her game and established a routine and mindset she brought with her to the Valkyries’ training camp.
She also credits Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase with playing a major role in her growth, praising Nakase’s ability to both support and challenge her. Nakase, a former point guard at UCLA, holds the position to a high standard, Burton said, and pushes Burton to improve her leadership, communication, body language, and accountability.
“Being under Coach Nat has been able to unlock a lot of things that I feel like I knew maybe were inside me and I had the ability, but I didn’t know if it would be in the WNBA,” Burton said. “She has allowed me to feel a confidence that I hadn’t felt since being at Northwestern.”
Burton, who is known for her defensive toughness and basketball IQ on the court, knows opponents will pay far more attention to her this season after last year’s breakout campaign.
She relishes the chance to continue to help build the Valkyries’ franchise in the Bay Area.
“It’s Ballhalla. The energy is unmatched. You feel the love, but then you could go outside and you still feel that same love,” Burton said. “Even on my first day in the Bay, I don’t even think they knew who I was at the time, but I was wearing one Valkyries thing, and I think I got stopped so many times.
“We aren’t who we are without our fans. The Bay Area has embraced me, welcomed me, and made me feel like I’m at a home away from home. And so I genuinely believe we have the best fans in the league.”
As a cornerstone player for an expansion franchise and one of the league’s emerging guards, Burton said her journey serves as a reminder that hard work can lead to new opportunities.
“If I could talk to the 2024 version of myself that had just gotten waived, I would tell myself that everything’s going to be OK, and that I am so much more than what an organization, what a coach, what social media, what anyone else says about me,” Burton said. “I would just remind myself of who I am, of what I stand for, and for the way to get back up, and that’s to keep working — put your head down and keep working.”
In Episode 1 of her Andscape video diary, Burton talks about her path to joining the Valkyries for their inaugural season in 2025, regaining her confidence and managing expectations for this season following Golden State’s historic playoff run.