Golden State heard it all season, and on October 31, 2026, Gabby Williams answered it in one half. The Valkyries forward scored 28 of her 30 points after halftime in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals, the most points anyone has scored in a half of a WNBA postseason game, and Golden State beat the Atlanta Dream 68 to 63 for its first championship.
Williams was the fourth pick out of UConn in 2018 and carries a career scoring average under 10 points a game. Named Finals MVP, she said what the team had heard all last year was that it had no stars and no talent.
The Dream led 30 to 24 at halftime. Williams scored 15 straight points across the third and fourth quarters and hit her fourth three-pointer with 2 minutes 18 seconds left. Atlanta shot 33 percent from the field and 20 percent from the three-point line. Jordin Canada scored 18 for the Dream and Allisha Gray 16.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase called Williams the team’s closer and said she is the most valuable player in the world. Kiah Stokes, who won a national championship with Williams at UConn in 2015, said she was glad Williams showed who she really can be, because she has been the team’s leader.
The Valkyries are two seasons old and are the third team across the NBA, the BAA, and the WNBA to win a Finals inside two seasons. Game 7 drew 18,000 people to Chase Center.
