Golden State just wrote itself into history. In only their second season of existence, the Valkyries stunned the basketball world by capturing the WNBA championship, outlasting the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a white-knuckle Game 7 that will be remembered as an instant classic.
At the center of it all was Gabby Williams, who turned in one of the most electric performances this league has ever seen on its biggest stage.
How did Gabby Williams carry the Valkyries to the title?
Williams torched the Dream for 30 points, scoring her team’s final 11 points of the third quarter before taking over down the stretch in the fourth. Her heroics put her in rare company — she’s now one of only two players in WNBA history, alongside Penny Taylor in 2007, to drop 30-plus points in a winner-take-all Finals game.
She didn’t just score. She closed.
“Gabby is our closer, she stayed patient, she stayed with it,” said coach Natalie Nakase. “Closing with 30, that is incredible!”
Williams walked away with the Finals MVP trophy, and after the final buzzer, she wasted no time showing love to the moment — kissing the trophy, throwing up the No. 1, and celebrating with her team all the way back to the locker room.
“I just walked into a group full of love,” Williams said. “And that just changed the entire trajectory of my career.”
What happened in the Game 7 finish?
This one came down to the wire. Jordin Canada led Atlanta with 18 points, Allisha Gray added 16, and Angel Reese nearly notched a double-double with 8 points and 12 rebounds. Rhyne Howard’s layup tied the game at 57 with 2:41 left, setting up a tense finish.
Williams answered immediately with a clutch 3-pointer, then iced two free throws to push the lead back out. Kiah Stokes — now a four-time WNBA champion — added a late bucket while anchoring the defense with 13 rebounds and two blocks in a dominant postseason capstone.
Atlanta didn’t go quietly. Gray hit two free throws with 11 seconds remaining, and the Dream forced a jump ball between Gray and Williams. Veronica Burton came down with it and sealed the win at the line with 5.1 seconds left.
“I’m just so blessed, this is insane!” Burton said.
Why does this championship matter for the Valkyries franchise?
This wasn’t supposed to happen this fast. Valkyries owner Joe Lacob guaranteed a championship within five years of the franchise’s launch — and Golden State delivered in just two, becoming the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season back in 2025 before closing the loop with a title the very next year.
“These ladies deserve all the credit in the world for the incredible resilience, every last one of them, and our coach,” Lacob said. “I can’t even say how proud I am. I don’t care men, women, whatever, it doesn’t matter, that is an incredible year, an incredible performance, not only tonight but the whole playoffs.”
A turning point came in Game 4, when Nakase shook up her starting lineup after falling behind 2-1 in the series, inserting Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes. The 37-year-old Hayes, who came out of retirement two years ago, delivered 11 points in Game 7 and brought a veteran spark all series long.
When it was over, confetti rained down on a sellout crowd at Chase Center that had packed the arena for every game since the franchise’s first tip-off.
“Ballhalla!” Lacob shouted during the celebration.
The Valkyries Just Set the Standard
Two years. One expansion franchise. One championship. Gabby Williams and the Valkyries didn’t just win a title — they proved that building something special doesn’t have to take a decade. With Williams now a Finals MVP and the Bay Area firmly on the WNBA map, the Valkyries have officially arrived as a franchise to watch for years to come.
