Veronica Burton opens the first midseason Valkyrie, an unparalleled debut

SAN FRANCISCO – With the WNBA offseason in full swing, there hasn’t been much The Golden State Valkyries have been buzzing since their historic inaugural season.

It was occasional Natalie Nakase see; The Valkyrie head coach was at Boston Celtics practice, chopping it up with his mentor Joe Mazzula. Carla Leite and Tiffany Hayes recently wrestled in Europe for their teams in the offseason. Caitlin Chan participated in UConn star Asia Fada’s podcast. And while the uncertainty stemming from the VNBA’s contentious CBA talks hovers over the league, for the most part, the team that became the first expansion franchise in history to make the playoffs is doing its thing.

For the reigning WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year, Veronica Burtonshe’s doing a little bit of everything right now. Burton, along with Kate Martin and Kyla Thornton, is returning to the Bay Area next week to give a series of career motivational talks to local schools in the area. In partnership with Career Girls, a nonprofit organization that provides educational resources, opportunities and role models for girls to explore their careers, Burton spoke to sixth- through eighth-graders at Marina Middle School in San Francisco on Friday afternoon.

“Just having the opportunity to touch base with the youth in this area is really special,” Burton said. “And they were amazing students,” Burton said. “They were really thoughtful, and it’s just special to be a part of that.”

Veronica Burton reveals her path to Valkyrie

The conversation lasted for an hour in the students’ classroom, in which Burton shared her journey to the WNBA. Burton covered her time at Northwestern and her motivation to earn a scholarship so she could attend college without student debt, as well as the ups and downs of her professional basketball life. Students had the opportunity to ask questions related to Burton’s career and sign autographs, which they had ready at a moment’s notice. Teachers who couldn’t attend Burton’s talk literally sent students to get the precious piece of autographed memorabilia.

Veronica Burton of Valkyrie with Marina High School students and teachers.

“We’re here with Career Girls to have an opportunity to touch base with young people… They were amazing students. They were really thoughtful, and it’s just special to be able to be a part of that.” https://t.co/CTUzmp0fF7 pic.twitter.com/iC8brKD4Nd

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) October 24, 2025

Barton shared with ClutchPoints some of the role models she had growing up, when she was around the age of Marina’s student.

“First and foremost, it was definitely my family. Watching my two older sisters play basketball, I just wanted to be like them,” Barton said. “And then, from a professional standpoint, I loved (Ryon) Rondo, I loved his game. Being from Boston, I think that was the perfect person that I tried to follow. Then, of course, Maya Moore, Sue Birds, those were people that I looked up to as well.”

After speaking with the student, Burton took time to speak with the educators and teachers at Marina High School. Most of the staff were rocking some sort of Valkyrie gear, be it official merchandise, homemade artifacts, or just plain Valkyrie purple clothing.

Veronica Burton talks about her offseason so far

After the talk, Burton spoke to ClutchPoints briefly about her offseason and what she’s been up to since the Valkyries lost in the first round to the Minnesota Lynx. Just the day beforeBurton, along with Martin and Thornton, attended the Warriors’ home opener overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.

“To be a part of the Golden State family now, it feels different after we finished the season and experienced it. It was neat, a little less pressure, a little less tired than when we came back to the Chase Center,” Burton joked.

But in addition to attending the Warriors’ opener, Barton also spent some time in Boston, home of where she grew up.

“Boston is home base so you can go home, see some family freshen up,” Burton said.

While in the New England area, Burton went to the Celtics along with Nakase practice facility last week to soak in the “intensity” of the Celtics environment.

“Being able to see the Celtics practice first hand was really crazy. And seeing Coach Nat and Joe Mazzula and their relationship was really neat and a great experience,” Burton told ClutchPoints. She also talked about the things she can take away from being in that environment.

“Honestly, their intensity level. It was the last day of training camp, so seeing how they’re running things and the pace they’re playing, there’s definitely a lot of individual things that we need to take away from them,” Barton said.

Barton is currently preparing for her first season with Unrivaled, a rising 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by Naphisa Collier and Breanna Stewart. And while she doesn’t know her team yet, she’s excited for the challenge.

“It’s going to be unique for me, kind of a different style of play, but something I’m looking forward to,” Burton said.

I am preparing for her next season

The 2026 VNBA season is somewhat shrouded in mystery as the VNBA and VNBPA have yet to agree on a new CBA. The Oct. 31 deadline to resolve the talks is fast approaching, and it appears doubtful that either side will reach a settlement. It is a dispute that has reached national levels of attention as more than 70 MPs signed the VNBA letter commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, urging the league “to negotiate in good faith to achieve a fair (Collective Bargaining Agreement) in a timely manner.”

Barton and the Valkyries didn’t ask questions about the current situation, but did talk about how she’s preparing for next season.

“Obviously we’re not in the offseason, but you feel like you’re never in the full offseason,” Barton said. “You’re always working, so I think we’ve felt a lot of that this season. We’ve kind of laid the foundation for who we are and who we want to be. And so, we know our goals and we work towards them every day.”

Barton and the Valkyries have a ways to go until training camp begins next April. Until then, she’s preparing for her first season at Unrivaled, spending time with friends and family, and getting involved with the community through programs like Career Girls. And now that she’s had a taste of both Warriors, Barton was asked to rate the volume compared to the raucous Ballhall crowd.

“Oh, don’t get me in trouble,” Burton laughed. “I love Ballhalla, so I’m always rocking Ballhalla.”