LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 18: Gabby Williams #5 of the Seattle Storm shoots against against the Las Vegas Aces in the first quarter of Game Three of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs first round at Michelob ULTRA Arena on September 18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 11: Tina Charles #31 of the Connecticut Sun loses the ball among Seattle Storm defenders during the game at Climate Pledge Arena on July 11, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Storm won 79-65. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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The news dropped early Sunday morning and should delight Golden State Valkyries fans, who were no doubt getting restless as they watched other teams around the league sign free agents.
Then the Valkyries announced the signing of All-Star forward Gabby Williams to a long-term contract. And the brand new season just got more exciting.
An elite defender. Another international force. A 29-year-old veteran who can help lead the young Valkyries roster. An Olympic star who almost took down mighty Team USA in the gold-medal game in Paris.
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Williams is all those things.
Head coach Natalie Nakase said last season that she wanted “killers” — relentless players who fight on defense and are competitive every minute on the floor. That’s a profile that describes Williams.
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“One trillion percent,” general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said Sunday. “Coach Natalie is elated, to say the least.”
Nyanin has had Williams on her radar ever since the Valkyries launched. Nyanin describes Williams as a “world class” player and a stellar individual who will make everyone around her better.
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“She’s extremely ferocious on the court, on both sides of the ball,” Nyanin said.
Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams follows Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson into the lane Sept. 1, 2025 in Seattle.
Jennifer Buchanan/Associated Press
Williams’ mother is French, which allowed her to play for France in both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. But she grew up in Sparks, Nev. — where she was a prep basketball and track star — before signing to play college ball at Connecticut. She won back-to-back national championships and in 2017 was the national Defensive Player of the Year.
Williams is very familiar with the Bay Area. Her late father had roots in Oakland, and she has extended family in the East Bay. Her younger brother Matt played basketball at Cal State East Bay and her sister Jayda Noble played basketball at Cal. Williams spent summers in Alameda, playing for two different local AAU teams, the Alameda Bulldogs and the Mission Rec Center Rebels.
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“Gabby has deep roots in the Bay Area and she is coming home,” Nyanin said. “The community is going to love her and she’s going to love it here.”
Those local ties aren’t the only factors that make the Bay Area such a comfortable landing spot for Williams. She will join French teammates Janelle Salaün and Iliana Rupert, who both signed multiyear contracts with the Valkyries over the weekend. Together they won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Rupert and Williams also won bronze in Tokyo.
Williams stole the spotlight in Paris, with a breakout performance in the gold-medal game against mighty Team USA. Williams led France with 19 points and made key baskets down the stretch, scoring the final seven points as the home team vied for the huge upset. It looked like Williams may have forced overtime with a long running bank shot at the buzzer, but replays showed her foot was on the 3-point line and the U.S. team escaped with a one-point win.
Kayla Thornton (5) and Tiffany Hayes (15) defend against Seattle’s Gabby Williams (5) as the Golden State Valkyries played the Seattle Storm at Chase Center last season.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
Williams is also familiar with last year’s top draft pick, Justė Jocytė. They played together professionally on LDLC ASVEL Lyon, leading the club to a EuroCup title. The Valkyries announced Sunday that they have activated Jocytė’s rookie scale contract; Jocytė, who was the fifth overall pick in 2025, opted to play for Lithuania in EuroBasket last summer, rather than make the leap to the WNBA at 19.
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The signing of Williams elevates the entire roster. She was the No. 4 overall draft pick by the Chicago Sky coming out of UConn in 2018. In 2021, because she was committed to play for France, she missed the entire WNBA season. In 2022, she was acquired by Seattle, where she spent four seasons. Last season, she earned her first All-Star berth and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, after the award ended in a tie for A’ja Wilson and Alanna Smith.
Williams will open a new chapter of her career on May 8, against her old team, the Seattle Storm, aiming to take her new team on an exciting Year 2 journey.
The Valkyries solidified their core with the weekend announcements, including the re-signing of last season’s breakout star Veronica Burton, who was the WNBA’s Most Improved Player, and the re-signing of Italian forward Cecilia Zandalasini. Fan favorite Kate Martin remains under contract. The team lost French player Carla Leite and Spain’s Maria Conde in the expansion draft and center Monique Billings signed with Indiana over the weekend.
Because of the long delay while a labor agreement was reached, Nyanin has an exhausting, compressed schedule. Free agency began last week and the WNBA draft is on Monday night. The Valkyries have picks No. 8, No. 23 and No. 38 and there should be a great player available at No. 8. Some mock drafts project them taking versatile, energetic wing Gabriela “All Gas Gabs” Jaquez, who won a national championship for UCLA a week ago.
“I’m trying to make sure the exhaustion doesn’t get in the way of attention to detail,” Nyanin said. “I did a lot of prep work for this and I have a great staff.”
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So will there be more free agency action?
“Dum da dum,” Nyanin said. “We will have to wait and see.”