SAN FRANCISCO – Carla Leite scanned the floor in the third quarter as she handled the ball at the top of the arc on Thursday night.
The Valkyries’ rookie guard then made her decision, unleashing a blur of a right-to-left crossover to get past her Dallas defender.
Then she stopped. Then she popped. And then she dropped a righthanded floater softly through the rim while tumbling to the floor.
Sitting in the paint, the Chase Center crowd reaching a deafening din and surrounded by teammates, Leite flexed as she let out a scream.
“I just tried to be ready for the moment,” Leite said, almost sheepishly.
The first-year French floor general, who has averaged 7.9 points and 2.1 assists over 34 games, was more than ready for the moment.
She took control of an 84-80 victory that punched the Valkyries’ ticket to the WNBA playoffs – guaranteeing a home game that will be played in San Jose in mid-September – in their first year of existence, scoring 15 points and dishing out five assists off the bench.
After the final buzzer went off, Leite joined her teammates at midcourt, throwing on black “2025 Playoffs” shirts and posing for a celebratory photo few outside of Ballhalla could have predicted before the season.
The brash, assertive blur of purple-clad energy – one who shot 6 of 8 from the field – bore little resemblance to the timid rookie coach Natalie Nakase watched in training camp, the then 20-year-old who had been left unprotected by Dallas in the expansion draft.
“She was telling everyone where to go,” Nakase said. “That’s the growth I’ve seen from Carla, from not saying a lot, to now she’s taking English lessons, so she’s feeling very comfortable calling out her teammates.”
She was a willing passer, connecting multiple times with fellow French rookie Janelle Salaun for critical 3-pointers. After all, in Leite’s eyes, why wouldn’t she want to pass the ball to a player who was 3 of 4 from 3-point range?
“It’s easy for me to pass the ball to Janelle,” Leite said. “I read the game, and that’s it.”
Leite has had higher-scoring nights, with her career high being a couple of 19-point games. But never had she scored baskets as important as the ones she made against Dallas, when the sputtering Valkyries offense struggled to find gaps.
Leite made 5 of 6 shots and scored 12 points in the second half, earning the trust of her coach in the process.
After Leite provided a shot of adrenaline to Golden State in the third quarter, Nakase opted to roll with the rookie over star guard Veronica Burton, who struggled for three and a half quarters.
Burton had no issue with the strategy.
“For her to be ready in that moment, like this is a big moment, and being a rookie in this league and to step up the way she did, it is a testament to her mentality, her confidence, and her skillset,” Burton said.
Her last basket was a testament to her newfound confidence. With 2:25 left in the game and the score tied at 74-74, Leite calmly ran the pick and roll with Monique Billings.
Both defenders dropped into the paint, leaving the rookie wide open for the long-two.
Earlier in the year, maybe Leite would have passed the ball to a teammate, or waited a second too long to read the defense and missed the opportunity.
But not on Thursday night.
Leite, now poised to be a difference-maker in the postseason, buried the shot and gave Golden State a lead – and playoff berth – it would not relinquish.
She was basically like, ‘Give me the effing ball. I’ve got this,’ Nakase said.
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