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Veronica Burton opens up about 1st Valkyries offseason, Unrivaled debut
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- Veronica Burton opens up about 1st Valkyries offseason, Unrivaled debut
The post Veronica Burton opens up about 1st Valkyries offseason, Unrivaled debut appeared first on ClutchPoints .
SAN FRANCISCO– With the WNBA offseason in full swing, there hasn't been much Golden State Valkyries chatter since their historic inaugural season.
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There's been the occasional Natalie Nakase sighting ; the Valkyries' head coach was at the Boston Celtics practice facility, chopping it up with her mentor Joe Mazzulla. Carla Leite and Tiffany Hayes recently went head-to-head in Europe for their respective offseason teams. Kaitlyn Chen went on UConn star Azzi Fudd's podcast. And while the uncertainty emanating from the WNBA's contentious CBA negotiations looms large over the entire league, for the most part, the team that became the first expansion franchise in history to make the playoffs is all off doing their own thing.
For the reigning WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year, Veronica Burton , she's doing a little bit of everything right now. Burton, along with Kate Martin and Kayla Thornton , is back in the Bay Area over the next week to do a series of motivational career talks with local schools in the area. Partnering with Career Girls, a non-profit that provides educational resources, opportunities, and role models for girls to explore career paths, Burton spoke to students in sixth through eighth grade at Marina Middle School in San Francisco on Friday afternoon .
"Just to have the opportunity to touch base with the youth in the area is really special," Burton said. "And they were amazing students," Burton said. "They were really attentive, and it's just special to be a part of it."
Veronica Burton reveals he path to the Valkyries
The talk lasted an hour in a classroom of students, in which Burton shared her path 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 Burton career-based questions and sign autographs, which they had ready at a moment's notice. Teachers who couldn't attend Burton's talk quite literally sent students in to acquire a precious piece of signed memorabilia.
Burton shared with ClutchPoints some of the role models she had growing up, when she was around the age of the Marina students.
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"First and foremost, it was my family for sure. Watching my two older sisters play basketball, I just wanted to be like them," Burton said. "And then from a professional standpoint, I loved [Rajon] Rondo, I loved his game. Being from Boston, I think that was the perfect person that I tried to follow suit. Then of course, the Maya Moores, Sue Birds, those were kind of the people I watched too."
Burton took time after speaking with the student to talk with the Marina Middle School educators and faculty. A majority of the staff was rocking some kind of Valkyries gear, whether it be the official merch, homemade artifacts, or simple Valkyries violet attire.
Veronica Burton opens up about her offseason thus far
After the talk, Burton spoke to ClutchPoints briefly about her offseason and what she's done since the Valkyries lost in the first round to the Minnesota Lynx . Just a day earlier , Burton, along with Martin and Thornton, attended the Warriors' home opener overtime win over the Denver Nuggets .
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"To be kind of just be a part of the Golden State family now, it hits differently after finishing our season and experiencing that. It was neat, a little less pressure, a little less fatigue than when we were back in Chase Center," Burton joked.
But besides attending the Warriors' opener, Burton also spent some time in Boston, back home where she grew up.
"Boston is home base for so to be able to go home, see some family was refreshing," Burton said.
While in the New England area, Burton, along with Nakase, went to the Celtics' practice facility last week to soak in the "intensity" of the Celtics' environment.
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"Being able to see firsthand inside the Celtics practice was really dope. And to see coach Nat and Joe Mazzulla 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 kind of run things and the pace in which they play, there's definitely a lot of individual stuff to take away from them," Burton said.
Burton is currently preparing for her first season in Unrivaled, the rising 3v3 women's basketball league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart . And while she doesn't know her team yet, she's excited for the challenge.
"It will be unique for me, kind of a different style of play, but something I'm looking forward to," Burton said.
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Gearing up for her next season
The 2026 WNBA season is a bit shrouded in mystery as the WNBA and WNBPA have yet to agree to a new CBA. The October 31 deadline to resolve the negotiations is quickly approaching, and it looks doubtful either side will reach a resolution. It's a dispute that's reached national levels of attention as more than 70 legislators signed a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, urging the league "to bargain in good faith to reach a fair (Collective Bargaining Agreement) in a timely manner."
Burton and the Valkyries did not field questions on the ongoing situation, but did speak on how she's building up for next season.
"Obviously, we're not in season, but you feel like you're never really in a complete offseason," Burton said. "You're always working, so I think we got a taste of a lot this season. We set kind of the foundation for who we are and who we want to be. And so, we know our goals and we're working toward them every day."
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Burton and the Valkyries have a ways to go till training camp begins next April. Until then, she's gearing up for her first season in Unrivaled, spending time with friends and family, and engaging with the community through programs like Career Girls. And now that she's gotten a taste of both the Warriors crowd, Burton was asked to rate the loudness compared to the raucous Ballhalla crowd.
"Oh, don't get me in trouble," Burton laughed. "I love Ballhalla, so I'm always rocking Ballhalla."
