Gabby Williams’s rise in the WNBA has been slow, methodical, and largely away from the media attention. Her 26-point charge in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals has now thrown her into the limelight, as the Valkyries take a 1-0 lead in the seven-game series. For Kelsey Plum, however, seeing Williams as a leader of this championship-contending team came as no surprise, as Williams barely had such an opportunity before, and anyone who has followed Williams’ career would make the same claim.
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“WNBA fans are now getting a taste of who Gabby Williams is, but if you’ve played overseas or you’ve watched Gabby for years, Gabby’s been one of the best players in the world for the last four or five years. Watching Gabby, her evolution in the W in Seattle, she never got the opportunity to Iso at the top of the key. It just wasn’t that she couldn’t do it; it was just that that wasn’t her role,” said Plum on the Road Trippin’ Show.
Plum’s comments centered on Williams’ time with the Seattle Storm, where her offensive role did not allow her the same opportunities she now enjoys with the Valkyries. Gabby Williams played for the Seattle Storm in multiple stints before signing for the Valkyries at the start of this season. By the 2025 season, Williams had established herself as an elite two-way player, finishing third in the DPOY rankings and averaging 11.6 points per game.
When it came time to test the market, Williams refused to play it safe. At 29, riding the momentum of the 2024 Olympics—where she had the powerhouse Americans on the ropes—she finally trusted her own inner drive: the conviction that her place was firmly among the game’s best.
And that conviction is reflected in her output. Williams saw a marked increase when she joined the Golden State this season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Looking at her growth trajectory, Plum is happy that Williams is finally getting the leadership role she deserves.
“It’s awesome to see somebody that has basically just like waited her turn. It’s always played the right way. But Gabby’s always been extremely smart, competitive, play both sides of the ball, winning basketball player. And I think Natalie Nakase has just been like, ” Hey, listen, we’re going to throw you the keys; take off,” Plum added.
Williams has surely earned the trust of her coach and her team. And she has backed that trust with solid production all season. Williams is the Valkyries leading playmaker this postseason, averaging 23.1 points per game. She is also enabling others around her to score freely, dishing out 3.7 assists per game. And she is anchoring the Valkyries’ defense as well, registering a team-high 1.6 steals per game in the playoffs,
More than the stats, Williams has been trusted by her teammates to take that final shot, the shot that carries the most pressure, time and again in this postseason. And Williams has never disappointed as well. When asked after Game 1 how she manages to do that, she had a very unique response regarding her mindset.
“Yeah, same thing, doing math,” Williams said. “One of our trainers, she was like, ‘In the fourth quarter, you always do this thing, and I know you’re going to start taking over; you look at the clock.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m counting. I’m counting possessions, I’m counting points, what do we need now, what’s the most timely time to go.”
“I think it’s just like the best way to kind of take the pressure off things, too, is just to break them down possession by possession.”
The Valkyries will hope that Williams can continue her fine form in Game 2 as well. It would be a huge morale boost if they had a 2-0 lead going into Game 3 at the State Farm Arena. Game 2 of the Finals is on Monday at the Chase Center, with the full force of “Balhalla” behind the Valkyries.
