Two years ago, the Golden State Valkyries were nothing more than an idea of a franchise still being developed. They had their team name, a logo and a general manager, but in October 2024, the Valkyries didn’t yet have a single player on their roster.
Now, after just two seasons’ worth of games, Golden State enters Thursday on the verge of becoming the WNBA’s model franchise. With a 3-2 lead over the Dream entering Game 6 of the 2026 WNBA Finals, the Valkyries can secure their first-ever championship with one more win.
Should Golden State close out the series — whether in six or seven games — the WNBA’s 2025 expansion squad would be making North American professional sports history.
Here’s how a potential Valkyries championship would compare to the fastest title runs from an expansion franchise across other pro sports leagues.
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Fastest expansion teams to win a championship
If the Valkyries close out the 2026 WNBA Finals with the trophy, they will be setting a new record for the fastest expansion team among the major North American sports leagues (NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB, NFL) to win a title, doing so in just two seasons.
Currently, the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks hold the record for the fastest championship by an expansion franchise. The Bucks’ first NBA season was in 1968-69, and after drafting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) in 1969, they proceeded to win the championship in their third season of existence.
That span of just three seasons needed by the Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson-led Bucks to win a title has held up as the quickest turnaround by an expansion franchise.
The only other expansion franchises from the major North American sports leagues to win a championship within five years are the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks (first MLB season in 1998), the 2004 Seattle Storm (added to WNBA in 2000) and the 1997 Florida Marlins (first MLB season in 1993).
In the NFL, while the Ravens were technically a continuation of the Cleveland Browns’ franchise rather than an expansion team, they had the quickest turnaround from Year 1 as a team to a Super Bowl in 2000.
Here’s a full list of the fastest expansion franchises to win a championship:
| Team | League | First Season | Championship Season | Span |
| Milwaukee Bucks | NBA | 1968-69 | 1970-71 | 3 seasons |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | MLB | 1998 | 2001 | 4 seasons |
| Seattle Storm | WNBA | 2000 | 2004 | 5 seasons |
| Florida Marlins | MLB | 1993 | 1997 | 5 seasons |
| Baltimore Ravens | NFL | 1996 | 2000 | 5 seasons |
| Las Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 2017-18 | 2022-23 | 6 seasons |
| Detroit Shock | WNBA | 1998 | 2003 | 6 seasons |
| Miami Dolphins | NFL | 1966 | 1972 | 7 seasons |
| Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 1967-68 | 1974 | 7 seasons |
| New York Mets | MLB | 1962 | 1969 | 8 seasons |
MORE WNBA FINALS:
