NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
Tiffany Hayes has been a veteran presence for the Valkyries since day one. That is one of the main reasons Natalie Nakase asked her to take a chance on her and join the team last season.
“I remember having a conversation with her about coming here and saying, ‘Are you willing to take a leap of faith with me? It’s going to be my first year. Do you want to do this together? And she said, ‘ Yeah.”
After 11 seasons, Hayes announced her retirement from the WNBA in 2023. She returned in 2024 with the Las Vegas Aces and was named Sixth Player of the Year as the top bench player. The Aces attempted to protect her in the expansion draft, but since Hayes was a free agent, she could look elsewhere and joined Golden State for their inaugural season. She couldn’t play in their two-game series with the Lynx because of a knee injury she sustained in the regular season.
Dribble, Drive, Foul, Repeat
Hayes’ fire never wavers when she’s on the floor. When she’s in rhythm, it shows in all parts of her game. She dribbles through traffic and attacks the rim while drawing multiple defenders. In true Hayes fashion, she goes to the hoop and gets a foul.
With 50 seconds left in the first quarter, she drew an immediate foul and made both free throws.
In the second quarter, she led the team with 12 points. Hayes hit back-to-back triples and forced a turnover, leading to a Valkyries layup on the other end. That is the beauty of her game – Hayes knows how to keep Golden State’s energy high when needed or calm things down when they feel rushed.
Throughout the season, Hayes’ usage in the rotations was small, until after the All-Star break. Hayes would enter the floor and give the Valkyries a burst of what she’s made of: scrappy energy, tempo, and elite shooting. Outsiders wondered why Hayes remained on the roster, but over the last few months she’s shown why, and how, she is crucial to the Valkyries’ rotations.
“Tip is incredible. I think it’s been really cool to see what she’s able to do the entire season, her entire career,” Veronica Burton shared postgame after their 81-83 victory in Game 2 against the Aces. “The energy she shows up with every single day. When you have someone like her being the example, it makes all of us want to play as hard as we can. We wouldn’t be us without her. It’s a gift to be her teammate and to watch her work, and it’s really incredible to see what she’s doing.” Hayes nodded and gave Burton a little handshake after her response, then replied, “I liked that.” They shared a smile.
Through Golden State’s five playoff games, Hayes is averaging 17.6 minutes, 13.8 points, and is 80.8% from the free-throw line. In game 2, she led the team with 21 points and finished the first half with 12 points in a little over six minutes.
The Aces went on a 10-1 run to tie the game at 74, and even though it felt like Vegas could steal a win, Golden State remained composed down the stretch. Hayes was one reason the team settled when they needed to most. Golden State forced a steal, and as Burton began sprinting down the court, she passed to Hayes, who signaled everyone to stop and slow down. It felt similar to the shared breath that went viral during the Game 3 elimination game against the Dallas Wings.
She shared that she is having ‘so much fun’ playing with this team, and it shows in her presence. Whether Hayes is on the bench with her back brace on or on the floor, she is one of the most animated people on the court. Golden State’s Hayes-led bench unit has an unbeatable rhythm; they move the ball, Hayes drives to the basket, and kicks it out to teammates for wide-open looks. Their chemistry is why they have the league’s highest-scoring bench squad.
With 5.9 remaining, Jackie Young missed her second free-throw attempt, and Chelsea Gray snatched the rebound. Gray attempted a reverse layup that was blocked by Kiah Stokes, another former Ace, and Burton grabbed the rebound as the clock hit 0.
No team has come back from a 0-2 deficit in a five-game series in WNBA playoff history. Burton said they weren’t paying attention to history, and for good reason. Golden State is currently setting and breaking every expansion-team stat in WNBA history. Friday night will be an aggressive 40-minute battle. The Aces have not lost more than two games in a row all season. How this game ended gave the Aces ideas for adjustments in Game 3: control the boards and score early. The problem is, Golden State has players who can have a hot night at any time; you can’t prepare for that.
