Gabby Williams Leads Golden State Valkyries to First WNBA Title

Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday night at the Ballhalla venue. The victory gave the expansion team its first championship in franchise history. The team had existed for only two seasons before claiming the title.

Gabby Williams, 30, drove the Valkyries to the win. She finished with 30 points, 28 of which came in the final 20 minutes. Her output set a new record for the most points scored in a half during a WNBA Finals game. The performance earned her Finals MVP honors. Williams had scored only two points in the first half before taking over the game.

The Valkyries trailed by six points at the halftime break. Williams scored 15 points in the third quarter alone. Her scoring run helped the team take a 45-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter. When the game was tied at 53, Williams scored nine consecutive points. The Golden State squad did not trail for the remainder of the contest.

Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream finished with eight points and 12 rebounds. Reese noted that her team had strong performances earlier in the series. She expressed pride in her season and the support from the Dream fan base. "I’m really proud of the year that I had," Reese said. "I’ve done a lot of great things this year, but I wouldn’t be able to do it without this group. I love these girls. I love the coaches. I think it also sucks because our fan base back home poured into us so much this year, and we really wanted to do it for them. But we’re forever grateful, and like I said, we’ll be back."

Williams acknowledged the strategic adjustment required in the second half. "I love moments like this," Williams said. "[Coach] Natalie [Nakase] told me to be patient in the first half. I listened to her." This is Williams' first WNBA championship. She previously played for the Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm. Her professional background includes a college championship and overseas play. She lost to Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in September while representing France.

The Dream plan to return to the Finals next season. The Valkyries will look to repeat their championship run in the upcoming 2027 season. Both teams will begin pre-season preparation in the coming months.