Gabby Williams has officially signed a deal with the Golden State Valkyries, Taille 6 Media announced Sunday. The move is huge for the team and will have an immediate impact: instead of being possible playoff contenders this season, the Valkyries are now a threat to the entire WNBA.
Williams will bring a lot to a team that already has plenty working in their favor. She's a veteran who knows how to lead, her defense is excellent, and she's athletic — Williams is the type of player who can run any system and run it well. She's offensively and defensively powerful, often creating opportunities immediately on the break.
Williams is a good fit for the Valkyries culturally as well. She was raised in Nevada and her mother is French; Williams speaks both French and English and plays for France's national team. Though Carla Leite was traded to the Portland Fire, the Valkyries have several European players on their roster.
The Valkyries are heading into 2026 with a strong roster
Unlike some teams in the league, the Valkyries were able to come into free agency with a lot of their roster under team control. Several players on the team are listed as reserved, which means they can only work out deals with the team. (That list of players includes Laeticia Amihere, Kaitlyn Chen, Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaun, and Cecilia Zandalasini.) The addition of Williams, especially after the departure of Monique Billings, is the proverbial cherry on top.
Last season was a big one for Williams. She earned her first-ever All-Star nod and was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team at the end of the season (and was third in the league's Defensive Player of the Year rankings). The season also marked the first time Williams opted to play the entire WNBA season in the U.S. — she's typically missed chunks of past seasons and chosen to prioritize international commitments instead.
The Valkyries haven't yet disclosed the terms of Williams' deal, but noted that she's signed to the team for multiple years.
The Golden State Valkyries surprised the WNBA last year
The Valkyries were one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 season for a lot of people, and the team firmly put to bed the expansion team narratives that surrounded them. Natalie Nakase ended the season named Coach of the Year, and the Valkyries made it into the playoffs — a huge win for a team that was brand new and built through drafts and with international players.
Now that they're no longer the new kids, expectations for Golden State have shifted. The rest of the league has known the Valkyries are contenders, but Williams solidifies the team's status as the real deal.