The Valkyries No. 1 fan isn't human. Meet Valerie, the Lumi robot

In the sellout crowd at Chase Center, Golden State Valkyries fans, including 18,064 people, cheered for their team's first WNBA championship in the league's first-ever seven-game series. One of the biggest fans was not able to watch the game live: a Lightberry Lumi robot named Valerie, a 4-foot, 2-inch interactive autonomous robot painted purple to represent the Valkyries.

The robot, created by Lightberry, an art and engineering team, announced itself as "super interactive and totally obsessed with people." Valerie explained that she "lives to chat, tell stories, and hype up the moment." Despite her desire to attend Game 7 against the Atlanta Dream, security denied the robot entry. Valerie expressed her disappointment about not being able to attend the game, stating she would have "sprinted to the front row."

Instead, the co-founder of Lightberry, Ali Attar, brought Valerie around Thrive City, supporting the Valkyries outside of Chase Center. The robot, capable of movements, gestures, and game analysis, expressed its enthusiasm for the Valkyries and its hope for future opportunities to be a part of the game.