Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird

Episode: Veronica Burton on Her Most Improved Player Award Season & Building the Valkyries Incredible Culture
Air Date: September 26, 2025
Host: Sue Bird
Guest: Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries guard, 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player

Episode Overview

This episode features Sue Bird in conversation with Veronica Burton, the breakout star of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries. The discussion centers around Burton’s remarkable season (including her Most Improved Player award), the unique journey of joining an expansion team, and the culture she and her teammates have quickly built in the Bay Area. The episode weaves in themes of resilience, family influence, faith, athletic development, and the power of team chemistry in the context of both personal achievement and the broader evolution of women's basketball.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. WNBA Playoff Arena Schedules & League Growth

[02:36–07:30]

• Sue and co-host Tommy discuss recent venue conflicts where high-profile events or concerts, like the Jonas Brothers’ show, are shifted for WNBA playoff games.
• Sue contextualizes: While it reflects growing status, these situations hinge on executives’ decisions, similar to her 2010 finals experience.
  • “For 20 years, it’s always just been decisions. Do we put them on TV? It’s a decision. Do we invest? It’s a decision. And I think people need to understand that sometimes it’s literally someone in a room making a choice.” (Host, 04:57)
• Tommy notes it’s unthinkable for NBA teams, highlighting the WNBA’s unique hurdles.

2. Playoff Analysis: Mercury, Lynx, Indiana, Vegas

[07:30–21:18]

• Sue breaks down recent playoff moments:
  • The Mercury’s huge comeback, with shoutouts to individual performance (Monique Oconomikani, Satu Sabally, Courtney Williams).
  • The importance of bench veteran depth for Indiana: “They're not just vets. They're vets who have either been to the WNBA Finals or have won in the WNBA Finals...they just don't get rattled, honestly. They don't give a f---.” (Host, 20:18)
• Discussion on the value of midrange shooting in the WNBA, with Sue citing analytics from Daryl Morey and highlighting specific players.

3. Introducing Veronica Burton

[23:22–25:27]

• Sue introduces Veronica with a rundown: from Northwestern star, to Dallas, to Connecticut, to an essential role on the Golden State Valkyries expansion team.
  • Noted for starting every game this season, breaking records, and leading her team to the playoffs as a first-year franchise.

4. Life Immediately After Season: Team Bonding in Cabo

[23:39–24:37]

• Veronica shares she’s in Cabo with teammates, reflecting the team’s off-court closeness.
  • “We just got here like two days ago and it’s like five of us in total, so just relaxing a little bit, spending some more time together before we all kind of go our separate ways.” (Veronica, 23:39)

5. Reflecting on an Historic Season

[24:54–26:20]

• Veronica on soaking in team and personal accomplishments:
  • “I think parts of it don’t hit you maybe until after the season...I tried to look around as much as I could just to really soak it in.” (Veronica, 24:54)

6. The Expansion Experience: Opportunity & Chip on the Shoulder

[25:53–27:44]

• Expansion draft meant being ‘unprotected’ by prior team, reframed as a fresh opportunity:
  • “We were handpicked, and we always put a big emphasis on that. Like, we were chosen to be here, we were wanted here...Let’s see what we can do with that.” (Veronica, 26:20)
• “Everyone thought we were gonna suck...that was even more motivation.” (Veronica, 27:11)

7. Family Foundations, Athletic Upbringing, and Competitive Edge

[27:44–30:20]

• Burton credits her athletic family—parents and siblings—for her drive, discipline, and perspective.
  • “We would wake up as a family before school, in high school...My dad would wake us up at, like, 5:30 in the morning, and...rebound for us.” (Veronica, 29:07)

8. Balance, Faith, and Sports Psychology

[31:18–34:45]

• Faith helps her balance performance and identity:
  • “When I play for someone bigger than me, I think it just releases the expectation of, okay, I have to do this to win this game...there’s also a freedom of understanding that it’s not everything.” (Veronica, 31:46)
• Sports psychologist and structured mental training crucial after setbacks.
  • “I had talked to Ben Newman... He connected me with a new mental performance coach named Sean...It was really beneficial.” (Veronica, 33:19)

9. Navigating Waivers & Team Changes

[34:45–35:42] [59:36–62:06]

• “There was definitely no, like, ‘Oh this is your spot’...It was definitely, like, I know I need to prove myself. I need to make this team. I saw it as I need to make the roster.” (Veronica, 34:59)
• On getting waived: “First day I get home...I was journaling...about how much it sucked, how hard it is...Then it was like, all right, now my goals, like, what am I about to do until I get picked up?” (Veronica, 59:54)
• Staying ready through detailed, daily routines, workouts, and watching every game.

10. Defensive Identity and Evolution

[40:43–44:47]

• Defensive DNA notable from college to WNBA; sees defense as a controllable contribution.
  • “When it comes to winning, I just knew how valuable defense was...energy and effort factor...that was always going to be there.” (Veronica, 41:16)
• Host dives into advanced stats, making the case for guard defenders in DPOY conversations.

11. Culture & Instant Chemistry in the Valkyries Locker Room

[73:29–78:12]

• Locker room environment built on mutual buy-in, humility, and freedom to fail.
  • “From the jump...the character of the people that we had there was really refreshing...You do have that chip on your shoulder and so you’re going to play basketball the right way.” (Veronica, 74:57)
• Coach Nat’s messaging: “Just, like, embrace mistakes here. Like, I want you guys to F up. I want you guys to make mistakes and, like, we’re just going to get better every day...That was something that we all probably needed to hear.” (Veronica, 75:28)

12. Playoff Push & Culture Building

[78:12–80:36]

• Playoff expectations set early: “We want to be great...That’s our goal is to compete for a championship, and the way to do that is to make the playoffs.” (Veronica, 78:30)
• Team responded to adversity, especially after rough games.

13. Individual Growth & Historic Most Improved Season

[83:02–85:06]

• Increased numbers and efficiency after injuries reshuffled the lineup.
  • “As I got more comfortable in being more of an offensive minded...knowing that I was gonna have to be more aggressive...that was a bit of a mental shift as well.” (Veronica, 83:02)
• Sue lists records (starting all 44 games, first Valkyries 30-point game, first WNBA player with 24+ points and 14 assists with zero turnovers, etc.).
  • “I knew it was possible. I always knew that it was in me. It was just a matter of if and when it was gonna happen...to finally feel that a little bit and then to also have the trust and support from my teammates and coaches, that was super big for me.” (Veronica, 85:06)

14. Fanbase & "Valhalla": Building Something Special in the Bay

[95:28–97:42]

• Bay Area’s community integral to expansion success.
  • “It was like a full blown experience—it felt like a party, a celebration—to just be at our games...they embraced us, and I think we embraced them...” (Veronica, 95:28)
• Valhalla mentality travels—playoff atmospheres remain electric even in alternate venues.
  • “Valhalla’s a mentality. They’re bringing Valhalla wherever we go all the time.” (Veronica, 97:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Opportunity and Identity:

  • “We were handpicked, and we always put a big emphasis on that. Like, we were chosen to be here, we were wanted here. We belong here.” (Veronica, 26:20)

• On Defensive Player of the Year Voting:

  • “The eye test is the biggest thing...you feel when you want to go away from a certain defender or get them out of an action.” (Veronica, 44:47)
  • “There are some of those for sure...as even point guards, who do you want to attack, go away from, and all of that? I do think it's just interesting.” (Veronica, 47:26)

• On Team Culture:

  • “You could tell the character of the people that we had there was really refreshing...we all genuinely want to be here and want to be successful in this league.” (Veronica, 74:57)
  • “Embrace mistakes here...that was something we all probably needed to hear.” (Veronica, 75:28)

• On Transition and Resilience:

  • “First day I get home, I was journaling about how much it sucked, how hard it is...now my goals, what am I about to do until I get picked up?” (Veronica, 59:54)

• On Faith and Motivation:

  • “I think this year more than ever, my faith has gotten me through all of it, even the high moments. It’s kept me just super grounded...reminding myself why I play, who I play for, and that this is a blessing.” (Veronica, 31:46)

• Diana Taurasi’s Off-Court Praise:

  • “She’s unbothered.” (Diana Taurasi, recounted by Sue, 71:13)

Important Timestamps

• 02:36 – WNBA playoff scheduling challenges
• 07:30 – Mercury/Lynx playoff analysis
• 13:03 – Midrange game and analytics in the WNBA
• 23:22 – Introduction to Veronica Burton
• 31:46 – Faith and handling pressure
• 34:45 – Mental training and confidence
• 59:36 – Getting waived, staying ready, and Connecticut call-up
• 74:57 – Locker room culture and messaging in expansion franchise
• 83:02 – Statistical leap and impact of injury to KT
• 95:28 – Bay Area fanbase and Valhalla mentality

What Veronica Is Most Proud Of & Wishes She’d Done Differently

[103:31–104:30]

• “I would say I’m most proud of the culture that I was a part of building...culture that we built at Golden State; everything about it was just such a joyful experience.” (Veronica)

• “What would I do differently? I think I would...guard Erica Wheeler better when she hit that game winner in the Seattle game...winning that game would have secured us the six seed.” (Veronica)

Closing Reflection

Sue Bird summarizes the conversation by highlighting Veronica’s maturity at 25, her grounding in family, faith, and coaching, and the importance of coaches who believe in you:

• “All the different moments in her career got her to this point or actually allowed her to be ready for this moment. The way she credits her family, her faith, and really my takeaway was the coaches—the different coaches in her life.” (Host, 104:59)

Summary prepared for listeners who want the essence of a detailed, layered conversation—filled with on-court insight, off-court perspective, and plenty of practical wisdom on culture-building, resilience, and what makes an athlete thrive.