Gabby Williams is the WNBA Finals MVP. The Golden State Valkyries forward was given the award after Game 7 at Chase Center on Saturday, Oct. 31, when she led Golden State past the Atlanta Dream 68-63 for the franchise's first title.
A record half
The Valkyries trailed by six at halftime and had scored only 24 points. Williams then scored 28 of her 30 points in the second half. The SF Standard and SFGate both reported that this is the most points ever scored in a half of a WNBA postseason game. CBS San Francisco reported she also had four blocks and three steals in 38 minutes. The crowd was 18,064, according to the Standard.
The run started late in the third quarter. The Standard reported that Williams made a layup with 4:17 left in the quarter, then hit three 3-pointers in under a minute and a 10-foot jumper that gave the Valkyries a 45-44 lead.
"I'm very, very proud of her," center Kiah Stokes said, according to SFGate. "She's been our leader, she's been our offense, like the head of it, all season."
A Bay Area player
Williams lives in Oakland, according to the Standard, and played youth basketball in the Bay Area, according to NBC Bay Area. She came to Golden State from Seattle, NBC Bay Area reported. Williams was left off this year's All-WNBA teams, as we reported before the Finals.
She celebrated quietly. SFGate reported that she went home after the game and posted a photo of her 10-year-old rescue cat, Halle Berry, sniffing the MVP trophy. The team's championship parade is Wednesday, Nov. 4, in San Francisco.