The Valkyries made an enormous splash this offseason, bringing in All-Star ahead Gabby Williams. Williams is a monumental signing as she joins the Valkyries after the perfect season of her profession — she averaged profession highs in factors (11.6 PPG) and assists (4.2 APG), led the league in steals (2.3 SPG), made her first All-Star staff and was on the All-Defensive First Team.
“For a player of Gabby’s caliber to choose us in just our second year means everything,” Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin mentioned. “She is world-class. One of the best defenders in the world, a WNBA All-Star and someone who makes everyone around her better. Honestly, what excites me most is who she is as a person. Gabby has deep roots in the Bay Area, and she is coming home. The community is going to love her, and I think she is going to love it here.”
In 2025, Williams was one among six gamers to have not less than 500 factors, 180 rebounds and 180 assists, becoming a member of her new teammate Veronica Burton and 4 different All-Stars — Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Williams. She turned one among six gamers in WNBA historical past to common not less than 10 factors, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and two steals (Tamika Catchings twice, Lindsay Whalen, Angel McCoughtry, Alyssa Thomas, Arike Ogunbowale). Williams was far and away the WNBA’s finest ball thief, nabbing a league-best 99 steals — 30 greater than the subsequent closest participant. She had eight video games with not less than 4 steals, together with eight steals in opposition to the Los Angeles Sparks on June 17, which is tied for the 4th-most in a recreation in league historical past.
“Her versatility, her athleticism, gives her the ability to guard a lot of people and affords us an opportunity to switch,” former teammate and seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins mentioned. “She’s one of the best in the game at what she does.”
At this level within the offseason, pairing Williams with Burton makes the Valkyries the one staff that enters the 2026 season with a number of 2025 All-Defensive staff members. Both gamers are tenacious point-of-attack defenders. The Valkyries ranked third within the league in defensive score (99.8 DEFRRTG) and Williams’ former staff, the Seattle Storm, ranked fourth (100.1 DEFRTG). The Storm led the league in each steals (8.5 SPG) and blocks (5.1 BPG).
“I get the Swiss Army Knife analogy a lot and that’s the type of thing I try to be,” Williams mentioned. “I just try to help the team in any way I can.”
Williams is a 5’11 ahead with a 6’3 wingspan, permitting her to protect a number of positions, cowl numerous floor on switches and defend the rim. Offensively, she isn’t a ball dominant scorer however is a greater than succesful ball handler who can knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers, put up up and end performs across the basket. She’s been the point of interest of the French National Team, awarded the Alain Gilles Trophy, which is given to the perfect male or feminine French basketball participant and was named FIBA Europe TremendousCup MVP after guiding Fenerbahçe to the FIBA Europe TremendousCup title in 2024. Williams’ worldwide resume additionally consists of an Olympic silver medal with France, two Turkish Presidential Cup championships, a EuroLeague championship, a EuroLeague Final Four MVP and a pair of EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year awards. She already has chemistry with a number of of her Valkyries teammates from her time with the French National Team, together with Janelle Salaün and Iliana Rupert.
In addition to her skillset on each ends of the ground, what made Williams’ 2025 season so particular was how dependable she was for her staff. Williams performed in all 44 video games and was fourth within the league in general minutes performed (1,391 minutes) behind Kelsey Plum, Allisha Gray and Sonia Citron. She was tied with Angel Reese for eighth in minutes performed per recreation (31.6 MPG). At age 29 and coming into her sixth WNBA season, Williams’ management, expertise and stellar two-way play can be very important for a younger enlargement franchise trying to construct off a historic inaugural season.
