GSV GM Ohemaa Nyanin on upcoming draft; GSV Draft Party details; WNBA invitees to Draft night

transcript of Ohemaa, draft pick trade deadline, etc

Apr 11, 2025

Don’t miss the index for the entire 2025 Valkyries Draft series.

GSV GM Ohemaa Nyanin just held a press conference today, pre-draft. Here is my rough transcript of her remarks. but first, some more details on the upcoming draft.

GSV tell us:

The Golden State Valkyries will have the 5th, 17th and 30th picks of the 2025 Draft, Presented by CarMax, on April 14. The 2025 WNBA Draft has three rounds, with 12 picks in the first round and 13 picks in the second and third rounds. In order for a player to be eligible for the draft, domestic players must be a graduating college senior OR turning 22 years old during the year they're declaring — international players have to be at least 20 years old.

PRE-DRAFT TRADE DEADLINE
In the WNBA Draft, there are no draft day trades as the day prior — April 13 — is the pre-draft trade deadline. Teams are allowed to make trades involving 2025 draft picks until 2 p.m. PST. Following that deadline, the picks the Valkyries have are where they will select on Monday.
WNBA DRAFT
Monday, April 14 | Tipoff: 4:30 p.m.
WATCH: ESPN
VALKYRIES DRAFT WATCH PARTY
Beginning at 3 p.m. on draft day, the Valkyries will host a draft watch party in Thrive City outside Chase Center. There will be tons of activations, including lawn games, giveaways, Valkyries Photo ops, etc. The acrobatic trampoline slam dunk team, Nitro Dunk, will showcase their talents and DJ Christie will mix up the tunes.

Ohemaa Nyanin – Press Conference Transcript (April 11, 2025)

Good afternoon, good evening, good something.

Really privileged to have the opportunity to talk to you all about the draft.

I think for a lot of you who have been on this journey since I started—I believe the month was May—you’ve understood that this is a journey. We’re the newest team to throw the ball up come May 16. From the expansion draft to free agency, we get another opportunity before going into training camp to bring elite talent to the Valkyries.

Our staff has been working really hard to figure out what we’re going to do come Monday. I’m trying to get away from the word “excited”—we’re poised and ready. We’ve done our research, we’ve done our homework, and we’re ready to make these picks to bring in the newest Valkyries.

So I’m open to any questions and looking forward to being as authentic as possible in responding to you all.

Kendra:

Hi, Ohemaa. Great to see you and chat with you.

I was just curious—what are you guys looking for in this draft? What are some areas that you’re looking to plug in your roster through the draft, whether that’s positionally or just attributes that a player could have?

Ohemaa:

No, it’s a great question. I think we’re openly and honestly looking at a whole bunch of different things when it comes to the athletes. If we’re looking at them, they bring something—whether it’s basketball prowess or who they are as individuals and their story.

We still have more work to do between now and Monday before we say, “Golden State selects…”

As for attributes: a competitive athlete, someone who’s not afraid of stepping into the newest franchise, and someone ready to be a team player—regardless of age or college experience. Everyone’s story is different.

We’ve evaluated them for both basketball ability and long-term fit—how they’ll contribute in Year One and beyond.

Marissa:

Hi, good to talk to you.

What are the challenges of having the number five pick as an expansion team? Some players didn’t declare for the draft that we expected. You’re building from scratch—how has that affected your planning?

Ohemaa:

Yeah, generally we reframe “challenges” as “opportunities.” We now get to put our work to the test.

Our scouting department, led by Vanya Chernivets, has done an amazing job evaluating athletes. The expansion draft helped us test out theories—who might be protected, who might not—and we were able to make decisions accordingly.

With the college eligibility issue, we’ve built different draft boards depending on which athletes might declare. We’re preparing for contingencies, and I feel like we’re battle-tested after going through the expansion draft in December.

Nathan (San Jose Mercury News):

You talked about wanting to draft a competitor. Any other intangibles you’re looking for in prospects?

Ohemaa:

Yeah—empathy, understanding of what we’re trying to do in Year One.

The Bay is a new market, and we’ll need players who are open to learning fans’ stories and growing with them.

Also, understanding of the game is important. Competitiveness is one thing—but understanding your role, and how you fit, is another. We’ll be clear with players and their reps about how we see them fitting in Year One and beyond.

Kevin:

How much does a strong NCAA tournament run affect your evaluation versus a full season’s body of work?

Ohemaa:

Great question. Tournament performance matters—playing against elite talent helps us evaluate.

But we also talk a lot about body of work. If a player had a great season last year and not this year, we want to know why. After their collegiate season ends, we talk to them and ask questions that show we’ve been watching and thinking critically—not just about stats, but context.

Alex:

This draft has a lot of international prospects. How do you handle the challenges with timing, training camp, and integration?

Ohemaa:

Yes—we still have athletes playing overseas. I’m in constant contact with our sports immigration law firm. It’s definitely a factor.

But it’s not a deterrent. Training camp is short, and every day counts. Athletes will be waived across the league before the season begins—some of those athletes might be ones we’ve had our eyes on. So while I hope we don’t have a revolving door, I’m prepared for it.

Cheryl:

Do you expect your top pick at #5 to contribute right away?

Ohemaa:

I expect that athlete to understand the situation they’re coming into.

We have high expectations for all our players—not just #5, but #17, #30 too.

There are players in the league who went undrafted and still succeeded. Everyone at training camp helps shape our team identity, and we’re not putting pressure on any one player to carry it alone.

Matthew:

How has your experience with New York and the expansion draft helped accelerate your process?

Ohemaa:

Great question. I’m super privileged. I learned so much during my five seasons with New York—whether we had the #1 pick or not, the work didn’t change.

We have people on staff doing this for the first time—coaches, scouts, analysts. I don’t want to take that lightly. Everyone’s working incredibly hard, and we’re confident.

Anthony:

With the fifth pick, are you looking for a “face of the franchise”?

Ohemaa:

Not yet. I want the face of the franchise to emerge organically.

Some players arrive with notoriety; others are unknown. Who’s going to earn it? I want someone to earn that role. When you work hard for it, you don’t mismanage it once it’s yours.

Brandilyn:

Are you considering players who’ve been teammates or from strong fan bases to build team chemistry and Valkyries fan culture?

Ohemaa:

Good question. On fan bases—yes, that matters. But I let our business team focus on fan engagement and cultivation. I focus on basketball operations.

As for players who’ve been teammates—that hasn’t been a major factor. We’re focused on fit within the system Coach Nakase wants to run. Our job is to bring in players who can execute her vision.

Dina:

You and Vanya have a strong international perspective. Can you talk more about how you’re evaluating global talent?

Ohemaa:

Appreciate the question. I’m missing Merce(?) playing right now—Iliana Rupert is one of our athletes—so I’m happy to be here, but sad I’m not watching live!

Vanya and I see the game differently, and that’s a strength. Coach Natalie brings another unique lens.

We value international experience highly—many of these athletes have been playing professionally since their teens. But we also value the NCAA experience.

We’re asking: how quickly can a player be effective in our system, whether they’re coming from Europe or college? Unfortunately, we won’t know the full answer until the end of the season, but it’s something we think about constantly.

Marissa:

You’re still below the salary cap minimum. With lots of training camp deals, how are you thinking about cap space as you build from zero?

Ohemaa:

Great question. It’s complex.

We’re trying not to make mistakes early. Our flexibility gives us options—to make moves when needed, and to measure talent from training camp invites.

I think I have a solid understanding of the deadlines and what needs to happen. We’re trying to use our cap space thoughtfully—where we need it most.

Bonus: WNBA invitees to attend Draft

Hoopfeed shares the 16 players invited by the WNBA to attend the Draft on Monday:

Georgia Amoore
Sarah Ashlee Barker
Paige Bueckers
Sonia Citron
Sania Feagin
Kiki Iriafen
Aziaha James
Dominique Malonga
Aneesah Morrow
Te-Hina Paopao
Saniya Rivers
Madison Scott
Shyanne Sellers
Ajša Sivka
Serena Sundell
Hailey Van Lith

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