Parsons, formerly with the German national team, worked with Thornton to develop into a more consistent scorer heading into her 10th year in the WNBA. Thornton is playing a career-high 30 minutes per game and has raised her field-goal percentage from 37.

The Golden State Valkyries now have their first-ever WNBA All-Star representative in forward Kayla Thornton. On Sunday, the WNBA announced Thornton was chosen by coaches for the 2025 All-Star roster as a reserve.

Golden State Valkyries veteran Kayla Thornton was named as a reserve for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, the first such honor of her career.