Gabby Williams leads Golden State Valkyries to first WNBA title

The WNBA championship race ended at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday night, where the Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream to claim their first league title.

Forward Gabby Williams, 30, received the 2026 WNBA Finals MVP award after leading the Valkyries to a 68-63 win in Game 7. Her performance in the second half was the primary driver of the comeback. Williams scored 28 points during that stretch, a figure that stands as the most points scored by a player in one half of any WNBA postseason game according to league records.

The Valkyries trailed by six points at one stage of the final game but maintained control through defense. Williams explained the team's mindset during a Monday interview on Good Morning America. "We were down six [points], but we had the game kind of right where we wanted it," she said. "We're a defensive-minded team, so the fact that we kept them under 40, we were like, 'OK, we got this.'"

Williams credited the team's culture and coaching staff for the season's success. The Valkyries finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed, a result from their second season in the league. Williams stated that the front office prioritized building a strong environment over acquiring star talent. "Our staff did a great job of picking great people to create a good culture here," Williams noted. "They just kept using the word 'culture,' and that goes way far."

She compared the current roster to previous teams she has played for, noting that groups with fewer individual stars often underperformed in the past. "I've been on the super teams, I've been on the team with the stars, and have fallen much shorter than we did this year," she said. "So, I think, just a good group of people can take you a long way."

Williams also praised head coach Natalie Nakase for her competitive approach and personal leadership style. The forward described Nakase as the most competitive person she has encountered in her career. "She is competitive in everything that she does, you know, even how she treats people, even how she shows up every day, and we all feed off of that," Williams said. "I think she's a leader by example. She cares so, so deeply on a human level for each person, and you just want to go through a wall for her."