The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions only two seasons after joining the league. On October 31, 2026, they defeated the Atlanta Dream 68–63 at Chase Center in San Francisco to win the Finals four games to three. It was a landmark Game 7, decided by a dramatic second-half performance from Gabby Williams.
Williams scored 30 points, including 28 after halftime, to earn Finals MVP honors. Yet Golden State’s title was more than one player’s memorable night. It depended on defensive resilience, timely rebounds and the ability to recover from a six-point halftime deficit against an Atlanta team that had pushed the series to its limit.
How Golden State turned the deciding game
The Valkyries began aggressively, using defensive pressure to prevent Atlanta from making a field goal during the opening five minutes. Their early lead did not last. The Dream recovered, found opportunities through their guards and went into halftime ahead 30–24.
For a team with so much at stake, that was an uncomfortable position. Golden State had already held a 3–2 series lead before Atlanta answered with an 80–69 win in Game 6. The deciding contest required a different response, and Williams supplied it after the break.
She scored 15 points in the third quarter as Golden State edged back in front, 45–44, entering the last period. With under three minutes remaining in the fourth, the teams were again level. Williams then hit a crucial three-pointer and followed it with two free throws, shifting the pressure towards the visitors.
Veronica Burton made the final free throws after Atlanta had narrowed the difference, securing the 68–63 win. The official WNBA box score records a close game throughout, with Atlanta leading by six at halftime but Golden State winning the second half by 11 points.
Gabby Williams delivers a Finals MVP performance
Williams scored only two points before halftime, then became the central figure in almost every important attacking sequence. Her final line included 30 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks. She made four three-pointers and kept attacking even as the game’s physical intensity increased.
Her 28 second-half points set a postseason mark noted in the Valkyries’ official Game 7 recap. The same report credits her with a rare combination of 30 or more points, at least four blocks and at least two steals in a Finals game.
The award recognized work across a seven-game series, not just one comeback. Williams averaged 19.6 points and 2.6 steals per game in the Finals. Her decisive finish made that sustained contribution impossible to overlook, particularly after Golden State had struggled to find offense at several stages of the series.
Defense gave the Valkyries another route to victory
Golden State’s frontcourt mattered just as much. Kiah Stokes collected 13 rebounds in Game 7 and finished the series with 19 blocked shots, a WNBA Finals record cited by the franchise. That presence forced Atlanta to work for scoring opportunities near the basket and gave her team chances to run after defensive stops.
The Dream made Golden State earn every point. Jordin Canada led Atlanta with 18, Allisha Gray added 16, and Angel Reese contributed eight points and 12 rebounds. Their effort kept the game close until the final moments, even though the Dream ultimately fell short of their first franchise championship.
There was no single easy explanation for the outcome. Atlanta had recovered from an early scoring drought and taken the lead at the break. Golden State answered through a stronger second-half defensive stretch, a spectacular star performance and composure at the free-throw line when the title was close enough to touch.
A second-season championship rewrites expectations
The Valkyries’ achievement is unusual because the franchise began WNBA play in 2025. By the end of its second campaign, it had won the league’s biggest prize. That compresses a process of team-building, chemistry and postseason learning that often takes expansion clubs much longer.
Head coach Natalie Nakase and her players built a demanding defensive identity, while Williams’ arrival gave the team a proven two-way presence. At Chase Center, the crowd responded throughout the night, and the final buzzer brought the familiar scenes of confetti, embraces and a championship trophy.
It was a fitting end to the league’s 2026 season and a defining night for two ambitious franchises. Atlanta pushed a best-of-seven series to its final game; Golden State proved it could finish. The result leaves the Valkyries with a title, a Finals MVP and a new standard for what an expansion team can achieve.
