Fans were allowed in at 5:30, and Brie Reddick of San Bruno, adorned in her own Valkyries T-shirt, was among the first to absorb the scene and has been waiting for a Bay Area franchise since the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA folded following the 2009 season after playing two years.

While the Golden State Warriors' regular season is wrapped up, Friday marked the start of a new hoops campaign at San Francisco's Chase Center. In front of a packed house, the Bay Area welcomed the Golden State Valkyries to the WNBA.

The Los Angeles Sparks stunned a sold-out crowd at the Chase Center and beat the Valkyries 84-67 in the club’s first game as a WNBA franchise. The Valkyries set a record with 18,064 fans in attendance for their opening game as the 13th franchise in the league — which marked the highest attendance for any team in its debut game.