On a Saturday night in San Francisco, under a Halloween crowd that chanted one player's name through the final quarter, the Golden State Valkyries claimed the WNBA championship in only their second season. Their 68-63 Game 7 victory over the Atlanta Dream turned on the steady hand of Gabby Williams, whose return to the Bay Area became the hinge of a young franchise's rise. It is the kind of story sport keeps telling: a team barely born, a city that remembers its own champions, and a decisive night that tilts a rivalry into history.
Gabby Williams Scores 30 as Golden State Valkyries Win WNBA Title in Second Season
Ballhalla had become Boohalla for this Halloween night
Mark
Second season, and they're champions. How unusual is that?
Mimi
Very. The Valkyries only started two years ago, and they won a Game 7 that the Finals had never had before. That's a lot of firsts in one night.
Mark
Gabby Williams is the center of the story. What stands out?
Mimi
The third quarter run, 11 straight points to close it, and then the fourth. She finished with 30, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Plus the three-pointer after Atlanta tied it at 57.
Luke
Worth noting the 13 rebounds and two blocks are attributed to her in the report, but the wording is a little tangled with Kiah Stokes's late basket. I'd want a box score to confirm who had what.
Mark
Fair. What about Atlanta?
Mimi
They fought to the last seconds. Gray hit two free throws, they forced a jump ball, and Burton made two more with 5.1 seconds left. Canada led them with 18.
Luke
Careful there. Canada is listed with 18 in the text, but the summary also says she led Atlanta, while the story places her alongside the Valkyries' scoring. The source is muddled on which team she plays for, so that is not settled by this reporting.
Mark
Good catch. And Williams's backstory?
Mimi
She left Seattle for Golden State's close-knit culture and came home to the Bay Area, where she played youth ball.
Luke
That's the narrative framing, and it's reasonable, but her motives are described, not quoted. We don't hear it from her here.
Le Pouls
- The series reached a deciding Game 7, the first ever played in a WNBA Finals, and every possession carried weight.
- With the score tied at 57 and under three minutes left, Golden State's margin for error vanished.
- Williams answered with a clutch three-pointer and free throws, taking control as Atlanta fought back with their own late points.
- A jump ball and a final pair of free throws from Veronica Burton sealed the 68-63 result, and the Valkyries landed their first title.
On a Saturday night in San Francisco, under a Halloween crowd that chanted one player's name through the final quarter, the Golden State Valkyries claimed the WNBA championship in only their second season. Their 68-63 Game 7 victory over the Atlanta Dream turned on the steady hand of Gabby Williams, whose return to the Bay Area became the hinge of a young franchise's rise. It is the kind of story sport keeps telling: a team barely born, a city that remembers its own champions, and a decisive night that tilts a rivalry into history.
On Saturday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, the arena was draped in violet and a Halloween crowd kept chanting "Gabby! Gabby!" through the fourth quarter. The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 to win the WNBA championship, only their second season of existence.
Gabby Williams carried them. She scored all 11 of Golden State's final points in the third quarter and finished with 30, while Jordin Canada added 18. Williams also grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked two shots.
The game stayed close to the end. Rhyne Howard tied it at 57 with under three minutes left, and Williams answered with a clutch three and two free throws. Atlanta fought back with Allisha Gray's free throws, but Veronica Burton's two free throws with 5.1 seconds left sealed it.
Williams had chosen this path when she left Seattle for a close-knit culture and a return to the Bay Area, where she once played youth basketball. When the buzzer sounded, players sprinted onto the floor as confetti fell. For Atlanta, the wait for a first title goes on.
On Saturday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, with the arena draped in violet and a Halloween crowd chanting "Gabby! Gabby!" through the entire fourth quarter, the Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship. They beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7, the first Game 7 the WNBA Finals has ever produced, and they did it in only their second season of existence.
Gabby Williams carried them. She scored all 11 of Golden State's final points in the third quarter and kept going through the fourth, finishing with 30 points. Jordin Canada added 18 for the Valkyries, and Kiah Stokes scored a late basket, though the night belonged to Williams.
The game stayed tight until the end. Rhyne Howard's layup tied it at 57 with 2:41 left, and Williams answered with a clutch three-pointer. She then made two free throws with 1:40 remaining. Her work was not only on offense: she pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked two shots, capping what the source describes as a spectacular post-season.
Atlanta did not go quietly. Allisha Gray, who scored 16, made two free throws with 11 seconds left, and the Dream then forced a jump ball between Gray and Williams. Veronica Burton corralled it and converted two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go. Angel Reese had eight points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta. The loss denied the Dream a championship in the franchise's fourth try at the Finals.
Williams's path to this moment began with a choice. She left Seattle feeling good about joining Golden State and its close-knit culture, and the move brought her back to the Bay Area, where she played youth basketball. The idea was to build something special with the Valkyries, and on Saturday she had done exactly that.
When the final buzzer sounded, the sellout crowd erupted. Players sprinted onto the floor to hug and celebrate while confetti fell from the rafters. The arena's usual nickname, "Ballhalla," had become "Boohalla" for the Halloween game.
The championship puts a women's title alongside the one the Golden State Warriors won in 2022, adding to the Bay Area's recent trophy history. For Atlanta, the wait for a first title goes on.
Citations marquantes
Fans chanted "Gabby! Gabby!" throughout the fourth quarter.— Chase Center crowd, as reported by CBC
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