In a historic display of resilience, the Golden State Valkyries secured their first WNBA championship on Saturday, defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a tense Game 7. By clinching the title in only their second year, the Valkyries established themselves as the fastest expansion franchise to win a championship across major North American sports leagues, eclipsing the record previously held by the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks.
The atmosphere at the Chase Center was electric as the Valkyries overcame a sluggish start. Despite an initial 8-0 surge by Golden State, Atlanta countered with a 9-0 run led by Jordin Canada to seize an early lead. Both teams struggled with long-range shooting throughout the first half, which concluded with Atlanta holding a 24-point cushion and the Valkyries shooting sparingly from behind the arc. The low-scoring nature of the contest reflected the pressure of the winner-take-all environment. The home team had won 11 of the last 13 winner-take-all games in the Finals and – at least in the early stages – it looked like Golden State would coast to becoming the 12th team to do so. As they started the game 0-10 from the field with two turnovers while Golden State jumped out of the gates with an 8-0 run, it was not such a dreamful start for Atlanta. The Dream’s cold start was a thing of the past while the Valkyries’ hot start was nonexistent, in a spooky turnaround for both teams. Golden State was 0-for-10 from deep until guard Kayla Thornton finally connected with three minutes to go in the half. And Game 7’s first half was no different, the edition of the WNBA Finals featured some low-scoring affairs. The Dream went into halftime with a six-point lead and Golden State mustered only 24 points – the ninth time in this series a team failed to reach 30 points in a half. The Game 7 jitters both teams had in the first half seemed to dissipate a bit as the second half got underway.
The momentum shifted in the second half when star player Gabby Williams ignited the offense.
After the Dream extended their lead to nine points early in the third quarter, Williams responded with three consecutive 3-pointers, spearheading a 17-3 run that put the Valkyries in front. Williams, who was later named the Finals MVP, delivered a record-breaking performance with 30 total points, 28 of which were scored during a spectacular second-half surge. She punctuated her dominance by sinking a critical 31-foot triple with just over two minutes remaining, providing the cushion necessary to secure the win. The Valkyries’ offensive struggles were on full display: Zero field goals, with their last one coming with seconds left in the first, and only three free throws, six minutes into the quarter. The 3-pointer ended a drought of more than seven minutes without a field goal for the Valkyries. Knocking down three 3-pointers in the third quarter to cut the lead to one point, the former fourth overall pick caught fire. Immediately knocking down a pull-up jumper to extend the lead, the 30-year-old Williams couldn’t be denied opening the fourth quarter.
Reflecting on the emotional victory, Williams credited the support of the community, stating, “I wasn’t going to lose on Halloween. Honestly, everyone here, not just the players but the staff, the community, the city, the Bay – y’all have been pouring into me all season.” Coach Natalie Nakase praised the tight-knit spirit of her squad, adding, “We had unconditional love that is unbreakable. This is proof that if you put in all your heart, all your soul, you can win championships.” “This is a long season and y’all gave me energy every single night. Tonight, we were down and I hit a shot, it felt like we were up 20. … It’s easy when the energy is just good. It was so easy coming to work every single day and thats what I came for.”.
For the Atlanta Dream, the loss marked their fourth unsuccessful appearance in the WNBA Finals. Despite the defeat, key contributors made significant marks; Allisha Gray finished with 16 points, and Angel Reese recorded eight points along with 12 rebounds. Furthermore, DeWanna Bonner achieved a notable milestone, becoming the first player in league history to accumulate 600 career postseason defensive rebounds.
Valkyries owner Joe Lacob, who also owns the Golden State Warriors, successfully realized the ambitious goal he set three years ago: to deliver a title to the franchise within its first five years. Celebrating the achievement on the court, Lacob addressed the team, calling their performance “unbelievable” before enthusiastically shouting “Ballhalla” to the roaring crowd. Since the franchise was awarded in 2023 and debuted in 2025, the organization has consistently defied expectations, becoming the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season. Finishing with a 23-21 record and becoming the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in league history in their first year, golden State were awarded the franchise in 2023 and the team made its debut in 2025. Lacob then screamed “Ballhalla” as the crowd cheered loudly.
