Golden State Valkyries Win First WNBA Title as Gabby Williams Claims Finals MVP

The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions. In just their second season as an expansion franchise, the Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a winner-take-all Game 7 on October 31, clinching the title at Chase Center, the arena fans have nicknamed "Ballhalla."

A Stunning Run for an Expansion Team

Golden State's path to a championship this fast is almost without precedent. The Valkyries entered the league in 2025 and reached their first WNBA Finals this year by sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, a result that already qualified as one of the biggest surprises of the postseason. Beating Atlanta for the title completes an improbable two-year rise from expansion roster to champion.

It's also a title won without a single All-WNBA selection on the roster. Several outlets noted that Golden State is the first championship team in league history to win it all in a season in which none of its players made an All-WNBA team, a reflection of just how much the Valkyries relied on depth and defense rather than one dominant star's regular-season numbers.

Gabby Williams' Historic Game 7

That changed in the biggest game of the year. Gabby Williams turned in one of the greatest Finals performances in league history, scoring 30 points to carry Golden State over the line. Her 28 second-half points were the most in any half of a postseason game in WNBA history, and her 30-point output tied for the most ever scored in a winner-take-all WNBA Finals game. Across the full series, Williams averaged 19.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game, and she became the only player in WNBA history to post 30 points, at least four blocks and multiple steals in a single Finals game.

It's a remarkable turn for a player who spent years as a defensive specialist and connector rather than a go-to scorer. Williams, a UConn product who began her career with the Chicago Sky before stints with the Seattle Storm and now Golden State, is also a two-time All-Star (2025, 2026) and two-time All-Defensive First Team selection, and she adds the Finals MVP to a résumé that already included two EuroLeague championships.

The Road Through a Seven-Game Classic

This Finals had already made history before Game 7 even tipped off: it was the first time a WNBA Finals series had ever gone the full seven games. Atlanta had led the series 2-1 after a dominant Game 3 behind Angel Reese, before Golden State won back-to-back games to take a 3-2 lead. The Dream forced a decisive Game 7 by routing the Valkyries 80-69 in Game 6, setting up a winner-take-all finale in San Francisco that lived up to the billing.

A Title Without a Superstar Season

Whichever team won Game 7 was guaranteed to be crowned a first-time champion, and it ended up being Golden State. For a franchise that didn't exist three years ago, a championship built on a deep, physical roster and a Finals MVP performance for the ages is a remarkable debut chapter — and a warning sign for the rest of the league heading into next season.

For the series as it stood before the final twist, read our recap of Game 3 of the 2026 WNBA Finals. Follow the offseason in our WNBA coverage.

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