A lot is going on across the WNBA right now. The Minnesota Lynx are surging to a historically good winning percentage, even while superstar Napheesa Collier is sidelined with an ankle injury. The Las Vegas Aces are finally back on track, shuffling up the standings and priming for a playoff run. Midseason trades are in, and the inaugural “rivals week” is underway.
Oh, right, and the egg … that inexplicably large amethyst egg laid in Mission Bay last week. It finally hatched on Monday and birthed a brand-new mascot for the W’s latest expansion team. Violet, the protector of “Ballhalla,” now soars with the Golden State Valkyries. Ca cawww, we think? This is a great look for the nascent franchise, especially as it racks up home wins and continues a legitimate playoff push in its first year of existence.
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Violet’s arrival means there’s now just one mascot-less WNBA team. The Atlanta Dream are absolutely balling out in 2025, yet they’re still without an official costumed character. Star, a gray bird, was retired in 2020, and there’s been precious little follow-up around potential replacements. The Dream visit the Valkyries on Sunday, and that got us thinking about how to right this injustice.
How to watch Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries
Venue: Chase Center — San Francisco
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, Sunday
TV: NBA TV and WNBA League Pass (national) | KPIX+ 44, KMAX 31 and PeachtreeTV (local)
Streaming: Fubo (Save $20)
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Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Meet the current mascots
First, let’s see where the rest of the league stands, just to know what we’re dealing with. Our competition is as follows:
Chicago Sky — Skye the Lioness, recalling the bronze lion statues adorning the Art Institute of Chicago.
Connecticut Sun — Blaze, a dancing orange fuzzball that could get replaced as the team explores a Boston relocation.
Dallas Wings — Lightning, a flying horse diva nodding to the city’s neon Pegasus motif.
Golden State Valkyries — Violet, the aforementioned purple raven.
Indiana Fever — Freddy Fever, a red felt monster with blue eyes and yellow spikes of unknown origin.
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Las Vegas Aces — Bucket$, a good-luck jackrabbit bearing the incredible “Hare Jordan” nickname.
Los Angeles Sparks — Sparky, the dog currently making rounds for taking a backflip to the face.
Minnesota Lynx — Prowl, a cat with piercing blue eyes. So, so piercing.
New York Liberty — Ellie the Elephant. She’s the mascot to beat right now. Come at the [queen], you best not miss.
Phoenix Mercury — Scorch, a purple dinosaur-alien thing hailing from the planet Mercury (where else?).
Seattle Storm — Doppler, maroon in color and meteorologist in practice.
Washington Mystics — Pax, a panda bear bopping around by the Smithsonian National Zoo.
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So, the WNBA’s dozen mascots break down into standard-issue animals (six), mythical creatures (three) and whimsical woolies (three). Accordingly, here’s one Atlanta offering for each angle.
Our suggestions for the Dream
Large Mouth, the largemouth bass?
Georgia has 13 different official animals. The white-tailed deer is its state mammal, and that would surely be our easiest hook for a family-friendly mascot. But the strongest soldiers command the toughest battles, and we are playing the game on expert difficulty today. How about Georgia’s official fish, a record-setting largemouth bass reeled from Montgomery Lake in 1932? Listen closely and we’ll hear a round of euphoric yelps from Atlanta marketing executives.
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Large Mouth would be the perfect antagonist for opposing free-throw shooters. It would thrash around, ya know, like a fish out of water. It would cast an empty, googly-eyed stare during questionable calls and ref reviews. Why go with the doey, instantly lovable Dream Deer (TM) when there’s a scaly and littoral charmer flopping right in front of us?
Party Peach, the basketball-alien-fruit hybrid?
Who says no? The peach is Georgia’s well-known state fruit. Peaches are orange and round … and so are basketballs! Latto has a Clayton County jam called “Georgia Peach.” The extraterrestrial element is for the self-proclaimed “ATLiens.” It’s all coming together here.
Party Peach would also be the league’s only round mascot. It’s nice to switch stuff up every now and then. Maybe it bounces? Maybe it rolls around behind the basket, riling up a new fan section called “The Peach Pit?” Maybe Allisha Gray picks it up and swishes it from 30 feet out. Now is the time to dream bigger, Dream.
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Sleeper, the fluffiest pillow in all the land
If we want to go way of the abstract fuzzy blob, there’s definite potential in a sleep-themed Dream mascot. Kids can hug it; rowdier fans can squish it; exhausted players can lay their heads on it down the stretch. Sleeper would inevitably fetch a corporate partnership with some melatonin gummy brand.
How would we commemorate such an awesome mascot debut? Norse mythology egg hatchings come and go, but arena-wide pillow fights are forever, you see. Rhyne Howard could show up pregame and set a massive alarm clock for the big unveiling. The walk-out could even be set to … that’s right, Atlanta’s own Sleepy Brown. Do not snooze on this vision.
Will any of these mascots make it to Sunday’s game and match up with Violet? Nope, we are not that powerful (yet). Are we onto something, though? Get Renee Montgomery (or Chopped Chin) on the phone.
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