Gabby Williams, WNBA championship and France basketball career, Digi Mart USA News (San Francisco Bay Area): Gabby Williams made history on Saturday by winning the WNBA Finals with the Golden State Valkyries and earning the Finals MVP award. The result capped an unusual career path for the captain of the French women’s basketball team.
Williams led her team to victory in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals against Atlanta, a result the publisher describes as a major achievement for a franchise created only two years ago. The Valkyries, who defied expectations, have already built a loyal fan base, including actress Zendaya among its supporters.
Celebrating with fans dressed in the team’s purple, Williams spoke at the microphone after the win and was greeted by her French teammate Marine Johannès. In her post-game press conference, she said she owed much of her success to the French national team and hoped the French public was proud of her.
Born to a French mother, Thérèse, and an American father, Williams chose to represent France, drawing on her maternal roots. She learned to speak French from her Parisian grandmother and has since become the leading star of the Bleues, winning the Alain Gilles trophy for the best French player of the year.
Williams first built her profile in the United States. As a high school student in Sparks, Nevada, she set a state record and won a state title in the high jump, and she later played at the University of Connecticut, where her team won two national championships.
She was selected fourth overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2018 WNBA Draft.
After a difficult start in Chicago, Williams improved her game in Europe and returned to France, where she earned a spot on the national team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. She has since led the Bleues, who won Olympic silver in 2024 and world silver in 2026.
Williams also spoke about threats she said she received during the season because of her public advocacy, particularly for the rights of transgender people in sport. She said the Valkyries’ commitment to inclusion had given her support in a difficult period.
