{"id":831682,"date":"2026-07-28T15:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/831682\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T15:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:57:09","slug":"how-gabby-williams-gets-ready-for-an-wnba-all-star-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/831682\/","title":{"rendered":"How Gabby Williams Gets Ready For An WNBA All-Star Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Bustle\u2019s The Pregame, we ask women athletes about their pregame rituals. How do they get in the zone? What do they wear for the infamous tunnel walk<\/a>? Do they have any superstitions before a big game? Here, Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams chatted with Bustle before the WNBA\u2019s 2026 All-Star Game. <\/p>\n

Gabby Williams has never lived in a world without the WNBA. On Sept. 9, the Golden State Valkyries forward will turn 30 \u2014 the same age as the league itself.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean it always felt accessible. As a kid growing up in Nevada, Williams says it was hard to find games on TV, and jumped at any chance to see one in person. The first WNBA matchup she attended at age 12 was between the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my dream to play in the WNBA. I didn\u2019t think about how hard it was to actually make a living off of it, what it took to go overseas,\u201d Williams says. She currently plays for the Turkish Super League and EuroLeague Women and represented France in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics (her mother is French).<\/p>\n

Williams is in awe of how the WNBA has evolved, especially over the past decade. \u201cWatching the league be where it is now \u2014 the money we\u2019re able to make, the visibility on TV, NIL sponsorships, more teams \u2014 I just feel really grateful that we\u2019ve gotten to grow up together,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images Sport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Throughout her eight-year professional career, she\u2019s gotten used to playing at the premier level. Still, she hasn\u2019t forgotten what it once felt like to sit in the stands. \u201cI try to remember the little kid who was so excited just to go see her favorite players for the first time,\u201d she says. \u201cIt brings you back down to Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three days ahead of the All-Star Game, Williams walked Bustle through her precisely calibrated pregame routine, including her visualization technique and the music that helps her win.<\/p>\n

Do you do anything special to get great sleep the night before a game?<\/p>\n

I take OLLY magnesium gummies<\/a> \u2014 magnesium has always been recommended to me by nutritionists and people from our medical staff. It helps relax your muscles, so when you sleep, you actually get good sleep. And I\u2019ll get a good hour in my Normatec<\/a> [compression massage gear] and try to take an Epsom salt bath. It\u2019s so, so, so, so important. If my sleep is off, then the whole rest of my day is going to be messed up.<\/p>\n

What do you like to eat and drink on game day?<\/p>\n

I usually do a lighter breakfast, probably a juice, a protein bar. Post-shootaround, I\u2019ll have a good substantial bowl. I don\u2019t eat meat, so I\u2019ll do sweet potato with chickpeas, or avocado and beans. I drink lots of water.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s a late game, I won\u2019t have coffee in the morning so that I can take a nap, and then I have it in the afternoon to be ready for the game. I put creatine in it.<\/p>\n

Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images Sport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Do you have any good luck charms or superstitions?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t. I just try to have a very seamless routine: Make sure I have my coffee and OLLY multivitamins<\/a> at the right time. Make sure my outfit is ready before my 60-minute nap.<\/p>\n

Do you play any music while you\u2019re getting ready?<\/p>\n

Absolutely. Right now, I\u2019m listening to Steve Lacy\u2019s new album, Oh, yeah? Sometimes if I find a song and I play well, I\u2019ll keep listening to it. Maybe that is a little superstitious.<\/p>\n

Which songs help you win?<\/p>\n

\u201cDoom\u201d by Steve Lacy \u2014 I\u2019ve had that on repeat. Justin Bieber\u2019s Coachella set just came out online, so I\u2019ve been listening to the live version of \u201cPetting Zoo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images Sport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

How else do you get in the zone?<\/p>\n

Having something that\u2019s not on my phone distracts me a little bit so my mind is calm. If I get to the locker room early, I\u2019ll just read. I try to write as much as I can.<\/p>\n

What do you write?<\/p>\n

Some days it\u2019s just what I\u2019m grateful for. Some days it\u2019s writing out negative thoughts, crumpling up the paper, and throwing it away.<\/p>\n

In the last few minutes before a game, what are you doing?<\/p>\n

Your brain just goes a million miles an hour \u2014 at least mine does. If I\u2019m on the bench, whatever the coaches do with the first play of the game, I\u2019ll try to visualize that going perfectly, and then I\u2019ll try to visualize my first stop. I don\u2019t think beyond that. That helps me stay grounded. It puts me right into my flow.<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n

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From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person who\u2019s on TikTok, even if you aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Bustle\u2019s The Pregame, we ask women athletes about their pregame rituals. How do they get in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":831683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[22503,49,48,2668,9041,10400,890,82,630,290437,25735],"class_list":["post-831682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-artwork","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-homepage","tag-latest","tag-life","tag-lifestyle","tag-sports","tag-wnba","tag-wnba-all-stars-issue-2026","tag-women-in-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=831682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=831682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=831682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=831682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}