SAN FRANCISCO — With a fresh “WNBA CHAMPIONS” T-shirt over her Golden State Valkyries uniform, Gabby Williams cradled the shiny WNBA Finals MVP trophy in one arm and gave it a kiss. She held up a No. 1 with her left hand, then hugged and high-fived her supporters all the way to the locker room, where she pulled on some goggles to protect her eyes for a splashy, bubbly celebration.
Williams made her way back to the Bay Area where she cherishes so many youth basketball memories exactly for a chance to do something like this: to win it all and be part of building something special.
And she has done that all right.
“I just walked into a group full of love,” Williams said. “And that just changed the entire trajectory of my career.”
Williams scored her team’s final 11 points of the third quarter and dazzled through the fourth on the way to a 30-point night, and the Valkyries captured a championship in just their second season by beating the Atlanta Dream, 68-63, in a sensational first Game 7 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday at the Chase Center — better known as “Ballhalla” for the home team’s loud, proud fans.