Golden State Valkyries defeat Atlanta Dream to capture first WNBA crown

In a near single-handed performance, Gabby Williams helped the Golden ⁠⁠State Valkyries defeat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals to give the West Coast franchise a championship title in the second year of its existence. Williams scored 28 of her game-high 30 ‌‌points in the second half to force a turnaround and bag the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in San Francisco on Saturday. Kiah Stokes converted a Williams miss into a key hoop with 53 ⁠⁠seconds left to the deafening cheers of “Ballhalla”, as the Valkyries’ home crowd is known at the Chase Center. In what was ⁠⁠mostly a defensive struggle, Williams was the difference in the end, including winning a jump ball over Allisha Gray with 8.3 seconds to go.