In October 2023, Warriors and Valkyries owner Joe Lacob guaranteed that his WNBA expansion team would win a championship in its first five years.

Could it happen sooner than that?

The Valkyries, in only their second year of competition, are in the conversation to contend for this year’s title, despite lacking a true big three or a top 10 player.

Instead, in this age of star chasing, Golden State is essentially a team of elite role players. 

The Valkyries have been successful because they play an unselfish style, and coach Natalie Nakase has maximized the talent within her locker room. 

“They’ve done a great job of collecting the players for how they want to play,” coach Chris DeMarco said Wednesday of the Valkyries. “They got a lot of versatility, a lot of toughness, a lot of extra-effort players that are really bought in. They do a great job.” 

Still, their success as an expansion franchise has been unrivaled. They went to the playoffs in Year 1 and are looking at a No. 1 or 2 seed in Year 2. 

Meanwhile, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire have been eliminated from playoff contention.

DeMarco credited the collaboration between Nakase and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin for the team’s prosperity. 

“I do think there’s value in being able to look across the league and be like, ‘Hey, this is the type of player that fit well in my system,’ ” he said. “And they hit a home run on them.” 

Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier got the call Sunday that they were picked to represent France at next month’s FIBA World Cup in Berlin. 

Meanwhile, fellow French guard and Olympic silver medalist Marine Fauthoux didn’t make the cut this time around. 

She said she didn’t receive any explanation for her omission. 

“I don’t know, I’m not on the roster,” Fauthoux said. “I will cheer for my team.” 

Other confirmed World Cup attendees on the Liberty include Breanna Stewart (USA) and Leonie Fiebich (Germany). Han Xu, of China, and Raquel Carrera, of Spain, may also be in Germany for the tournament, which runs Sept. 4-13. 

Stewart wants the Liberty to turn the page.

It’s an idiom she’s used constantly over the past few weeks as the 23-15 team has weathered adversity. 

And with two games left before the FIBA World Cup break and only six remaining in the regular season, that phrase is a reminder for New York that there’s plenty of the Liberty’s season that remains unwritten. 

“With the playoffs around the corner, the playoffs bring new life, and that’s a completely different, almost, season,” Sabrina Ionescu said. “It’s just knowing we have to control where we’re at, where our feet are at, and knowing we have to finish these games off before the break really strong, and then come back after break, and it’s like the playoffs.”