When Gabby Williams was contemplating her next WNBA stop after the Seattle Storm, she was looking for just two things: culture and trust. You see, she had been in the WNBA for about a decade, but she never got the respect that a star player like her received. In fact, not many even believed she was a star player because of how tumultuous her WNBA career had been so far. But watch her play on a global stage, and you’d know exactly what you were getting. Golden State Valkyries’ head coach Natalie Nakase did.

“That’s it?,” Nakase had asked Williams in wonder when one of the best two-way basketball players in the world had put out her requirements, choosing the second-year expansion team over her other WNBA contender. Little did the head coach know just what she brought to the table for Williams. Kelsey Plum, who has been part of a dynasty and also struggling teams, understands just that as she takes a swipe at a $450 million franchise that overlooked that very talent.

“WNBA fans are now getting a taste of who Gabby Williams is, but if you’ve played overseas or you’ve watched Gabby for years, Gabby’s been one of the best players in the world for the last four or five years,” said Plum on the Road Trippin’ Show. “Watching Gabby, her evolution in the W in Seattle, she never got the opportunity to Iso at the top of the key. It just wasn’t that she couldn’t do it; it was just that that wasn’t her role.

“It’s awesome to see somebody that has basically just like waited her turn. It’s always played the right way. But Gabby’s always been extremely smart, competitive, play both sides of the ball, winning basketball player. And I think Natalie Nakase has just been like, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going to throw you the keys; take off.'”

Williams entered the WNBA in 2018 as a two-time national champion with UConn. But while the Chicago Sky gave her the key as a rookie, when she ended up sixth in the Defensive Player of the Year race, they took that away from the next season onwards. Things looked up in Seattle when she joined them in 2022, finishing that season as a runner-up in the DPOY race, but a lot of other matters, including her commitment to France for the Paris Olympics, took preference, and she lost some of the value she had received in Seattle. But here’s why Plum believes it was the Storm’s loss to let Williams walk this offseason:

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Williams became the ultimate disruptor for her opponents. If it wasn’t for her three-pointer converted to a long two-pointer in that Finals, she could’ve forced an overtime for Team USA and probably helped France win. The Storm saw it all. Then, continuing her WNBA career in 2025, the forward built on her international performance, even earning her first All-Star nod. They still let her go into free agency. When it came time to test the market, Williams refused to play it safe.

Seattle wasn’t the only loser when Gabby Williams finally chose the Valkyries

Williams knew she deserved to be among the elite players of the WNBA. But at Seattle, she simply wasn’t getting that opportunity. So, she jotted down three names she preferred as her stop for specific reasons.

The Golden State Valkyries, Minnesota Lynx, and the Las Vegas Aces.

You see, going to the Lynx would’ve given her the ultimate position to win a championship. They are a championship-caliber team that also added Olivia Miles in this season’s WNBA draft. The culture of the Lynx is also the kind she wanted. But she would’ve also found herself on the bench, fighting for a position in a team that already knew who belonged where. It would’ve also taken her too far away from her roots.

Then came the choice between the Aces and the Valkyries. Las Vegas would’ve been a literal homecoming for the born-and-raised Nevada citizen. They are also very strong championship contenders every season, with A’ja Wilson leading the group. But again, it would’ve been too much crowd for her to let herself go. And then came Nakase’s Valkyries, a pure gamble.

Extension teams don’t give you the chance to be a champion in their early years. And although they did reach the playoffs in their very first season, repeating those feats as a new team so early once again becomes a challenge. But Williams didn’t see any of that. She saw the promise that the franchise and Nakase brought.

As I said, the Valkyries were a gamble. But Williams also knew if she was allowed to play the game her way, she would come out on the winning side.

Nakase, a former Aces coach, trusted her. Williams didn’t need anything else.

The Valkyries kept their promise, so did Williams

Williams saw a marked increase when she joined the Golden State this season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Her work is reflected in the many honors she was contending for, including a runner-up in the DPOY race, All-Defensive first team, an All-Star nod, and an eleventh-place finish in the MVP race. But more importantly, she received what she has always looked for: a leadership role.

She is the Valkyries leading playmaker this postseason, averaging 23.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in the postseason. She is anchoring the Valkyries’ defense as well, registering a team-high 1.6 steals per game in the playoffs.

More than the stats, Williams has been trusted by her teammates to take that final shot. And Williams has not disappointed. When asked after Game 1 how she manages to do that, she had a very unique response regarding her mindset.

“Yeah, same thing, doing math,” Williams said. “One of our trainers, she was like, ‘In the fourth quarter, you always do this thing, and I know you’re going to start taking over; you look at the clock.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m counting. I’m counting possessions, I’m counting points, what do we need now, what’s the most timely time to go.

“I think it’s just like the best way to kind of take the pressure off things, too, is just to break them down possession by possession.”

The Valkyries will hope that Williams can continue her fine form in Game 2 on Monday as well. It would be a huge morale boost if they had a 2-0 lead going into Game 3 at the State Farm Arena, Atlanta’s home court for the Finals.