Led by MVP Williams, Valkyries outlast Dream, secure first WNBA title — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Gabby Williams scored 30 points as Golden State beat Atlanta 68-63 in the WNBA’s first championship Game 7, with 28 coming after halftime—a WNBA postseason record for points in a half—and was named Finals MVP.
- Golden State Valkyries became the first WNBA team to win a championship without an All-WNBA selection that season and the third team across the NBA, BAA and WNBA to win the Finals within its first two seasons.
- Gabby Williams scored 15 straight points spanning the third and fourth quarters, becoming the first player in WNBA history with a 15-point consecutive run in a Finals game; Golden State did not trail afterward.
- Atlanta Dream were held to 33% shooting, including 20% from three-point range, while Williams limited her primary defensive assignment to 2-for-9 shooting and recorded four blocks.
- Gabby Williams produced three 25-point games in the Finals, including 26 points in Games 1 and 6, matching the WNBA record for the most 25-point games in one Finals despite a career average just under 10 points.
- Natalie Nakase called Williams the team’s closer after her 30-point Game 7 and said the Finals MVP award reflected Golden State’s grind through a seven-game playoff run; owner Joe Lacob called Williams “everything and more.”
- Jordin Canada said Williams’ three-point surge shifted the game’s energy and lifted Golden State’s confidence, helping the Valkyries raise their intensity for hustle plays.
Why it matters: Golden State became the first WNBA champion with no All-WNBA selection that season, giving a two-year-old expansion franchise a historic title; Atlanta’s 33% shooting and 20% three-point rate in Game 7 erased its 30-24 halftime lead. Williams’ 15-point run and Finals MVP performance also gave Golden State a late-game centerpiece.
Ask SkimNews
