Gabby Williams leads Valkyries to WNBA championship

The Golden State Valkyries won their first WNBA championship by defeating the Atlanta Dream 68–63 in Game 7 of the Finals, played on October 31, 2026, at Chase Center in San Francisco. Gabby Williams scored 30 points and received the Finals MVP award. The result closed the series at 4–3 and gave the second-year franchise the title in the first Game 7 in league history.

The Game 7 result

The official Valkyries news page records the 68–63 score, the 2026 championship and Williams’s 30-point performance. The official WNBA playoff bracket confirms that Golden State won the series 4–3.

The deciding game remained close. Golden State led 14–12 after the first quarter but struggled offensively in the second, allowing Atlanta to take an advantage into halftime. The comeback gathered momentum in the third quarter, which ended with the Valkyries ahead 45–44.

How Gabby Williams decided the game

Williams produced most of her offense after halftime. According to The Guardian’s report, she scored 15 points in the third quarter and made three consecutive three-pointers to cut Atlanta’s lead.

One fourth-quarter play captured her influence: with 2:14 remaining and only two seconds on the shot clock, Williams made a contested three-pointer to put Golden State ahead 60–57. Atlanta never regained the lead. Her 30 points — a total also published by the club — earned her Finals MVP honors.

Veronica Burton contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Tiffany Hayes scored 11. For the Dream, Jordin Canada had 18 points, Allisha Gray added 16, and Angel Reese finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.

Why the championship is historic

The Valkyries began playing only two seasons before this championship. It is therefore the first title in franchise history, secured in the team’s second year. During the playoffs, Golden State defeated the Dallas Wings 2–1, swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 3–0 and overcame Atlanta in seven games.

The deciding game itself also set a milestone. As reported by the Guardian, it was the first Game 7 ever played in the WNBA. The Finals had moved to a best-of-seven format the previous season, but that series ended in four games. In 2026, Golden State won Games 1, 4, 5 and 7.

Atlanta’s road to the Finals

The Dream reached the series after defeating the Washington Mystics 2–0 and the New York Liberty 3–0. During the Finals, Atlanta won Games 2 and 3, then avoided elimination with an 80–69 Game 6 victory, a result recorded on the news pages of the Dream and the Valkyries.

That win sent the series to the deciding game in San Francisco. Game 7’s narrow score reflected a series in which Atlanta took a 2–1 lead, Golden State moved ahead 3–2 and the Dream forced one last contest.

Williams’s French connection

For audiences in France, the central figure is familiar through her play for the French national team. Images of Williams in a France uniform help identify that international career, but they do not depict the 2026 Finals. In the championship game, her contribution established by the available sources is clear: 30 points and the Finals MVP award.

The combination of an individual performance, a young franchise’s first trophy and the league’s inaugural Game 7 explains the night’s historical significance. Statistics, video and any subsequent updates should be checked on the official WNBA and Valkyries pages.