The FIBA World Cup is well underway in Berlin, and with it, its iconic in-game moments too. One such moment came during the France versus Korea game on Saturday in Group B. France’s Gabby Williams couldn’t contain her elation after scoring a bucket and, much to her relief, avoided getting a tech for her celebration. The fans wasted no time in giving their thoughts on Williams’s behaviour as she shared her thoughts after the game.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Hey, shout-out to the ref. He didn’t give me a tech. I thought I was back in the W. He was like, ‘I’ll let it slide’. Shout-out to him,” Williams said after the game, per an Instagram post by FIBA, when asked about what the ” too small ” celebration was about.
“Shoutout to Blanca, the ref, and the crew, but I won’t do it again.”
The Group B phase game had no shortage of fireworks. France were the pre-game favorites, but the Koreans were in no mood to give an easy pass and fought for every possession. Korea even took an early lead in the game, getting ahead 24-31 late in the first quarter, much to the frustration of Williams and Co.
With around 7:14 minutes left in the third quarter, Gabby Williams made a steal by leaping high over an opponent player. The commentators mentioned that Williams looked as if she was jumping over a trampoline. She then drove to the basket and converted the shot, making a gesture by pointing both hands towards the court, in what is known in basketball parlance as the “too small” gesture.
Even Williams’ teammate Marine Johannès held her arms over her head as she witnessed this dominating display, and the Koreans called a timeout immediately afterwards to regroup. Williams wasn’t the only one scoring for France.
Marine Johannès racked up a team-high 17 points and a commanding +29 rating in just 20 minutes of action. Dominique Malonga was an absolute force, needing less than 17 minutes to drop 14 points.
Gabby Williams matched that 14-point output while orchestrating both ends of the floor across nearly 29 minutes, chipping in four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block, while Carla Leite provided a ruthless spark off the bench with an 11-point shooting display in under 17 minutes.
On the other end, Haeran Lee fought valiantly as Korea’s lone standout, earning Game Hero honors with a gritty 12-point effort in 21 minutes. Lee went 4-of-8 from the floor, knocked down all four of her free throws, and added four rebounds, an assist, and a steal to finish with a team-best 12 efficiency rating.
But for the fans, the talking point remained Williams’ gesture and her post-game interview long after the game was finished.
“Gabby Williams was feeling it at the World Cup 🤏 #FIBAWWC,” was posted by the official FIBA account, as they wasted no time in showing their excitement on this dominant display by Williams.
“FIBA feels like a strait-laced ball. There’s a lot of respect on the court and in the crowds for the refs 🫡,” one fan said, as they perhaps compared the WNBA with the FIBA tournament, indicating that FIBA games usually see less dramatic moments on the court compared to a typical WNBA game.
“Calling out the W refs 😂😂😂,” another fan said, indicating that it was bold on Gabby Williams’ part to call out the refs when she knew she was playing with fire in doing so.
“Gab in a French uniform is a whole different level of beast🔥🔥🔥,” another fan remarked.
“Gabby at the top of her game right now 💪,” one fan said, indicating that Williams’ form would be crucial for France in this tournament to make a deep run.
“She out there like a Cornerback. Yooooo,” another fan said, perhaps indicating that her steal and style of play resembled more of a quarterback than a typical basketball player.
The night ended with a dominant win by the French side, with a final score of 95-69. And with scintillating performances from Williams and Co., fans will hope they can continue their dominant display against Nigeria in their next game as well.