The WNBA Finals are underway for point guard Veronica Burton (SESP ’22), who has helped anchor the Golden State Valkyries defense in its record-breaking sophomore season. With a game opener in San Francisco on Saturday, the Valkyries won a nail-biter matchup against the Atlanta Dream. Burton scored five points, and tallied four rebounds and three assists.
Burton has had a major impact on the Valkyries’ success in the playoffs. In game two of the semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces, the reigning champions, Burton scored a game-winning three-point shot with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In game three of the first round matchup against the Dallas Wings, Burton scored 16 points and picked up 10 rebounds, marking her first playoff double-double.
Averaging 28.8 minutes per game in the playoffs, Burton has been one of the most impactful members of her team, helping to anchor its No. 1 defense in the WNBA. This regular season, Burton averaged a career high of 12 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Her two-way playmaking has contributed to the Valkyries’ defensive dominance.
This week, Burton landed a spot on the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team, which honors the league’s top defenders. Her teammates Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes were also honored, with Williams making the first team and Stokes making the second.
In September, a Sports Illustrated article declared Burton the most impactful player in the WNBA due to her two-way strength on the court. The point guard topped the Regularized Adjusted Plus-Minus list, a ranking system for each player’s impact on their team.
Burton’s success at Northwestern turned out to be a strong predictor for her performance in the WNBA. As a first-year, Burton led the Big Ten in steals, starting 31 games for the Wildcats. She went on to win three consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year awards.
Still, her introduction to the WNBA was not without its hardships. In April 2022, she was drafted seventh overall by the Dallas Wings, but was waived in 2024 after two seasons of gameplay.
In late 2024, the Valkyries selected Burton to join its inaugural roster for the 2025 season. Burton quickly became a valued member of the franchise. As a point guard, she was the only player on its roster to start all 44 regular season games. She averaged then career-highs, — 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and six assists per game — leading the expansion team to the playoffs in their inaugural season, a first in WNBA history.
On Aug. 19, 2025, Burton made WNBA history by becoming the first player to record 24 points and 14 assists without any turnovers.
Burton and the Valkyries will now look to build on their momentum on Monday night, aiming to extend their finals lead to 2-0.
