5 min read
Major Takeaways
- Golden State beat Atlanta 68 to 63 in Game 7 at Chase Center to win the first championship in franchise history.
- It was the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, closing the first seven game series the league has ever seen.
- Gabby Williams was named Finals MVP after scoring 30 points, with 28 of them coming in the second half, a Finals record for one half.
- The Valkyries are champions in just their second season, the fastest rise to a title by an expansion team in major American pro sports.
- Atlanta fell short in its fourth trip to the Finals despite 18 points from Jordin Canada and 16 points from Allisha Gray.
The Golden State Valkyries are champions. Golden State beat the Atlanta Dream 68 to 63 on Saturday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, closing out the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history with a comeback that will live in league lore for decades.
Finals MVP Gabby Williams scored 30 points and carried Golden State across the finish line almost by herself after halftime. She had just two points at the break. She poured in 28 in the second half, the most points any player has ever scored in one half of a Finals game, and she averaged 19.6 points across the seven games of the series.
The First Game 7 in WNBA Finals History
The night began with defense. Golden State scored the first eight points of the game while Atlanta missed its first ten shots, and Angel Reese finally put the Dream on the board more than five minutes in.
Atlanta settled down behind Jordin Canada, who scored 13 points before halftime. The Dream led 30 to 24 at the break, and history said that mattered: in each of the first six games, the team ahead at halftime went on to win.
Atlanta pushed the lead to nine in the third quarter, and the title looked headed to the Dream. Then Williams caught fire.
Williams Delivered a Half for the Ages
Williams scored 15 points in the third quarter alone, burying three shots from deep as Golden State closed the period on a 17 to 3 run to grab a 45 to 44 lead. The sellout crowd at Chase Center, decked out in Halloween costumes for the holiday night, shook the building.
Atlanta refused to fold. Allisha Gray tied the game in the fourth quarter, and Rhyne Howard pulled the Dream even again at 57 with 2 minutes and 41 seconds left. Williams answered with a deep three that put Golden State ahead 60 to 57 with 2 minutes and 18 seconds to play, and the Valkyries never trailed again.
Kiah Stokes, who grabbed 13 rebounds, added a putback in the final minute. Gray kept Atlanta alive at the free throw line, but Veronica Burton corralled a jump ball in the closing seconds and sank two free throws with 5.1 seconds left to seal the title. Violet confetti fell as the final buzzer sounded.
A Fight to the Finish From Atlanta
Canada finished with 18 points and five assists for the Dream. Gray added 16 points and six rebounds, and Reese battled her way to eight points and 12 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner became the first player in league history to reach 600 career postseason defensive rebounds in the loss.
It was the fourth trip to the Finals for Atlanta, and the fourth time the franchise has come home without a trophy. The Dream forced this deciding game by winning Game 6 at home, and they led most of the night before Williams took it away.
A Promise Kept in Year Two
The Valkyries began play in 2025 as an expansion team and became the first expansion club to reach the playoffs in its debut season. This year they won 32 games, earned the second seed, beat Dallas in the first round and swept Las Vegas in the semifinals.
When the franchise was announced in October 2023, owner Joe Lacob promised a championship within five years. His team needed only two. Golden State is the fastest expansion team in major pro sports to win a title, and it did so without a single All WNBA selection on the roster.
Tiffany Hayes scored 11 points and finally earned a ring in her 14th season in the league, ten of them spent with Atlanta. Burton added 10 points for Golden State. A victory parade is planned for Wednesday in San Francisco.
On a Halloween night in the Bay, a league built on the brilliance of Black women delivered a classic the sport will never forget. And the newest franchise in the league now owns its brightest moment.
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