In the span of a mere 35 seconds, Gabby Williams had two opportune shots to single-handedly eliminate the Las Vegas Aces in regulation of Game 3 in their semi-final matchup. The first shot rattled out of the cup; the second missed wildly high on a lay-up attempt. And instead of a game-winner, a fresh five minutes were put on the clock.
But rather than fuming over missing a chance for the Golden State Valkyries to be just the second team since 2022 to beat the Aces in the WNBA Playoffs, Williams made an internal decision on how to handle that moment.
She chose to smile. Even despite Chelsea Gray’s potential game-winner rimming out of Vegas’s basket at the buzzer.
“I was laughing,” Williams told Peacock’s Maria Taylor postgame about the pre-overtime huddle. “Just because I couldn’t believe I missed those last two shots. And I thought, if I put a smile on my face, my shoulders will go up, my head will stay high, and I’ll hit the next one.”
One of the misses was a layup that even the least competitive person at your local YMCA would have been pulling their hair out about. Much less an individual who has seen A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray prevent her from reaching the pinnacle of the sport as a member of the French national team. Or a member of a team no one expected to be in this situation.
The game was tied, with five seconds between game and shot clock. Williams drove into the lane on her dominant right-handed side—three feet away, according to the box score—and the finish went high off the glass.
Wilson got the rebound. Gray was inches away from at least extending the series to another game.
Gabby Williams came up big in overtime
We know how the rest of the story went. Golden State dominated the overtime period. Williams hit a layup, an 18-foot jumper, and all four free-throw attempts she took. She scored eight of the team’s 16 overtime points while the Aces mustered just six.
“I could have put my head down, but I wanted to show my teammates, like, I’m not worried. So y’all don’t be worried either,” Williams continued. “Even though on the inside, I was a little worried. But sometimes you just want to smile, put your head up and your whole attitude, your whole body changes.”
For years, many have regarded Williams as one of the best defenders in the world. Evidence of that is from how she held Jackie Young to just 14.3 ppg and 39.3% shooting in the series.
And with Golden State, she’s not only become a leader with her international experience as a silver and bronze medalist in the Olympics. But she’s become the star of a team that was built as a collective, not as individual players.
On the court, it's her 20.3 points on 43.1% shooting and 1.3 steals per game that lead the Valkyries in the semifinal series. But it's moments like how she closed out Game 3 that showcase how she’s continuing that growth as a leader, with the Valkyries standing on the precipice of history.
And the next time we catch the back-to-back All-Star smiling after a miss, we'll all know why.
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