Golden State Valkyries and Sue Bird
Oct 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Las Vegas Aces during game three of the second round for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images; Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sue Bird in attendance of the WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird has created quite the stir after calling the number two seed Golden State Valkyries the “underdogs” going into the 2026 Finals against the number four seed Atlanta Dream.
In only their second season as a WNBA team, the Valkyries entered the 2026 Finals against the Dream, who will be playing their fourth since their last appearance in 2013.
Speaking about the Valkyries, Bird, who will be one of the studio analysts for NBC at the 2026 WNBA Finals, recently said, “All the players talk about the belief that they have. They never lose that in each other. I think they, even though they’re the higher seed, I think they like the underdog position.”
“I think they thrive in that. So it’s interesting; even though they’re the higher seed, they’re going to have home court advantage. It’s like home court advantage with an underdog mentality.”
Everyone loves an underdog story, especially for a team that has just existed for two seasons in the W. As the first head coach of the Valkyries, Natalie Nakase swept her mentor Becky Hammon’s team, the reigning champions Las Vegas Aces, in the semifinals to take her side to their first-ever WNBA Finals.
Maybe that’s why some fans are questioning Bird’s “underdog” label for the Valkyries, especially after a season they just had.
Reacting to a clip from Sue’s recent interview, one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “How they the “underdogs” if you been the #2 seeds the entire time and just sweep the raining champions 🫠🫠🫠😒😒😒😒 Enough with this underdogs gimmick.”
“This is so gimmicky 😭 underdog as the #2 seed & they beat the dream in the reg szn- this a cop out if they lose,” another person chimed in.
@WNBAonNBC This is so gimmicky 😭 underdog as the #2 seed & they beat the dream in the reg szn- this a cop out if they lose
— masali’s chair (@masalischair) October 14, 2026
One fan feared, “That’s why they will lose game 1. They aren’t the underdogs so it will be hard to maintain that mindset unless they face adversity.”
“Everyone starts a new gimmick when they play Atlanta 🙄. How can a #2 seed be “underdogs” when their coach has won 2 championship?” wrote another user referring to Nakase’s two WNBA championship wins as an assistant coach for the Aces.
“Underdog with the higher seed and home court advantage????? What are we doing here ?” wondered another.
One user further quipped, ““ Underdog” but the #2 seed, just swept the defending champions and also swept the dream during regular season🙄.”
One fan also felt, “Sue Bird’s legit been supporting any team but the Dream the whole series, I’m crying.”
The Valkyries won all three of their regular-season matchups against the Dream during the 2026 season. Last season, the Valkyries became the first expansion franchise to make the postseason in its first year. They reached the playoffs as the number eight seed. Now, Golden State opened as a -125 favorite to win the title.
In the 2026 WNBA playoffs, Angel Reese’s Dream entered as the number four seed and went on a Cinderella run to their first Finals appearance since 2013. They swept the number five-seeded Washington Mystics 2-0 and the number eight-seeded New York Liberty in the semifinals.
On the other hand, the Valkyries swept the Aces with an 87-77 victory in Game Three of the semifinals. They pushed the game into overtime after trailing for most of it.
Reflecting on the team’s “underdog” journey after sweeping the Aces, Golden State forward Gabby Williams said, “It feels special because this is a special group. We are going to get some bandwagoners because we weren’t getting no (sic) love all season. Honestly, no one believed in us, but it honestly made us smile. All we need is each other.”
It will be interesting for fans to watch the Valkyries (the league’s top defense) take on the Dream, which had the league’s third-best defensive rating (103.5) in the regular season. Atlanta averaged 91.3 points per game during the regular season. The Valkyries will face Reese and the Dream on October 17, 2026, in a best-of-seven WNBA Finals series in San Francisco.
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TAGGED:Atlanta DreamDreamGolden State ValkyriesSue BirdValkyriesWNBAWNBA 2026WNBA FansWNBA FinalsWNBA News
Aritri Paul is a Sports Writer at Fadeaway World covering the NBA, WNBA, and major stories across the sports world. With seven years of experience in digital media and entertainment journalism, she specializes in breaking news, player features, and in-depth analysis. She holds a degree in Communicative English and Integrated Marketing Communication and brings a strong background in digital storytelling, audience-focused content, and sports journalism.