OAKLAND – Gabby Williams felt more serene than she expected. Just around 36 hours after winning WNBA Finals MVP, she said she knew there would be joy.
What she didn’t expect was the sense of calm in the wake of the Valkyries’ Game 7 win over Atlanta to clinch the WNBA title. After a chaotic first season as Golden State’s star, Williams finally had a chance to catch her breath.
“I was in bed by midnight after the game,” she said. Next to her, teammate Kiah Stokes joked, “Lame!”
“It’s been very calm,” Williams continued. “I’ve just had a moment to kind of soak it in. I guess I didn’t have any expectations, but if I did, I thought it would just be partying and then rolling and energy. But I found a very, I don’t know, just like a serenity in everything that I’ve just loved.”
Williams, the Valkyries’ lone All-Star, faced more scrutiny than at any point in her career this season. Not only was she Golden State’s leader, but she said on Monday for the first time that she faced death threats for her public support of transgender athletes in a May interview.
“It’s scary,” she said of using her platform. “Obviously, I was getting plenty of death threats. There were some security issues and stuff. And there were moments where I was like, “How am I gonna play through all this?” And then I would walk into Ballhalla and be like, ‘Oh, that’s how. That’s how.’”
The matter of trans participation in women’s sports was a major talking point this WNBA season, and Williams’ comments were reposted on social media by an unrelated account in August, going viral.
Williams also was seen icing both of her knees at various points during the Finals, but she said that was mostly due to arthritis and not a specific injury that she sustained.
“My knees always hurt,” she said.
The 30-year-old will go into 2027 on the second season of a three-year deal as the centerpiece for the Valkyries attempting to make another championship run. She sealed this season’s title with 28 second-half points in the clincher.
Like many athletes, she likely went through more mentally and physically this season than she would admit publicly. But Monday was a bit of a window into just how difficult the season was, making the championship at the end all the more meaningful.
“She obviously deserves this moment,” teammate Tiffany Hayes said. “We’ve been talking about it all season; we have Gabby Williams and you don’t.”
Another player who knows what it’s like to take over a playoff game reached out to Williams: NBA all-timer Michael Jordan. He reminded her to stay hungry even after winning the title, as he did six times. She responded, “I’ve never been hungrier.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1), Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22), and Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) celebrate near Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese (5) and Atlanta Dream’s Naz Hillmon (00) as the Golden State Valkyries win against Atlanta Dream in the fourth quarter during the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Free agent statuses
The Valkyries have two unrestricted free agents in Kayla Thornton and Hayes, while Laeticia Amihere and Cecilia Zandalasini are restricted free agents.
Hayes said she would love to come back. Thornton said she hadn’t thought much about her future.
“I’m just soaking in each day and soaking in with my girls and just taking it day by day,” she said.
Zandalasini, who signed a one-year deal as a restricted free agent after last season, implied she would like to come back.
“We will see what happens in the offseason,” Zandalasini said. “For me especially, I love this place. I love this team. I find myself being comfortable here, and that’s a very big thing for me.”
The Valkyries have plenty of salary cap space to do whatever they want, even if they bring everyone back.
The Golden State Valkyries celebrate after defeating the Atlanta Dream during Game 7 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream to win the WNBA Championship 68-63. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
What’s next for Jocyte
Rookie Juste Jocyte averaged 8.1 points in 16 games in the regular season and played in just two playoff games. Earlier in the Finals, she said that this season has been difficult for her to learn patience after arriving from Europe to start her WNBA career this spring.
On Monday, she talked about her process of coming to peace with her first season.
“When the playoffs started, it kind of just clicked,” she said. “It just made sense suddenly. I feel like putting everything aside and wanting the best for your team. You want to fight for yourself and get playing time, but especially with Finals, I don’t think the team can have that kind of attitude of being sad or mad or whatever.”
Jocyte, 20, will play in the startup league Project B in the offseason before coming back to the Bay for training camp. She said she wants to spend the offseason improving her physicality.
“I’ve been in the weight room a lot this season,” Jocyte said. “That’s something that hopefully translates to my game overall.”