Valkyries Win WNBA Title on Williams' Record 30-Point Effort

Gabby Williams scored 30 points on Saturday to lead the Golden State Valkyries to their first WNBA championship. The victory capped a seven-game series against the Atlanta Dream at Ballhalla in San Francisco. The final score was 68-63 in the league’s first championship Game 7.

Williams recorded 28 of her 30 points in the second half. That total stands as the most points scored in any half of a WNBA postseason game in history. Her performance silenced early critics who questioned the expansion team’s ability to win without traditional star power.

The Valkyries joined a rare club in professional basketball history. They are the third team in the NBA, BAA, or WNBA to win a title within their first two seasons as a franchise. They also became the first WNBA team to capture a championship without a single All-WNBA selection on the roster that year.

Williams was named Finals MVP after her dominant showing. She spoke to the media after the game about the team’s internal belief. "All we heard last year, 'We don't have no stars, we don't have no talent.' Yeah, right," Williams said. "We've got good people. We've got winners."

Coach Natalie Nakase praised Williams’ role as the team’s closer. "Closing with 30, I mean, that’s f, ing incredible," Nakase said. She argued that the MVP award should reflect performance throughout the entire playoff grind rather than just regular season stats. Owner Joe Lacob added that Williams was both a tremendous person and an incredible player.

Williams finished the game shooting 10-for-23 from the field. She went 4-for-8 from three-point range and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. She also added four blocks, three rebounds, two steals, and two assists while guarding Atlanta’s primary scorer to 2-for-9 shooting.

The Dream led 30-24 at halftime, but Williams changed the momentum late. She outscored Atlanta 15-14 in the third quarter and scored 15 consecutive points that spanned the third and fourth quarters. This streak made her the first player in WNBA history to score 15 consecutive points in a Finals game.

Williams made three straight three-pointers during that run. She made only one three-pointer in her entire college career. Her fourth and final three-pointer with 2:18 remaining put Golden State ahead for the final time. The Valkyries held Atlanta to 33% shooting from the field and 20% from beyond the arc for the game.

Dream point guard Jordin Canada noted the shift in energy after Williams began hitting shots from deep. "I think that was the sift in the energy, was Gabby getting going from the 3-point line," Canada said. Teammate Kiah Stokes, who won a national championship with Williams at UConn in 2015, said Williams finally showed who she truly could be in a do-or-die situation.

The postgame ceremony featured a playful moment involving local rapper Too $hort. Williams previously conducted a call and response with the crowd using lyrics from the song 'Blow the Whistle.' During the trophy presentation, television host Elle Duncan asked Williams what her new favorite word was. The answer was champ.