The Golden State Valkyries have won the WNBA Championship in only their second season in existence, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a thrilling Game 7 of the Finals on Saturday night.
At the end of a season mired in controversy, it was heartbreak for Angel Reese and her Atlanta teammates as Gabby Williams stole the show for Golden State.
The game took place at a raucous Chase Center in San Francisco, with NBA icon Draymond Green watching on from courtside, and the likes of Barack Obama tuning in from home.
On a wild Halloween night, Williams scored her team’s final 11 points of the third quarter and dazzled through the fourth on the way to 30 points, a performance that sealed her the Finals MVP trophy.
For their losing rivals, Jordin Canada scored 18 points, Allisha Gray 16 and Angel Reese eight points and 12 rebounds, the Dream denied another championship in the franchise’s fourth try.
Gray made two free throws with 11 seconds left then Atlanta forced a jump ball – Gray against Williams – and Veronica Burton corralled it and converted two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go.
The Golden State Valkyries celebrate after winning the franchise’s first ever WNBA title
Golden State players react after a bucket late in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Dream
A wild seven-game series came to a thrilling end at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday
It was heartbreak for one of the league’s biggest names, Angel Reese, and her Atlanta Dream
When the final buzzer sounded, the violet-clad sellout crowd at Chase Center went into a frenzy as players sprinted onto the floor to hug and celebrate as confetti fell from the rafters.
Posting on X after the buzzer, president Obama wrote: ‘Congrats to the new WNBA champs, the @Valkyries! Ballhalla was rocking all season, and this team was fun to watch. Enjoy the celebration.’
In the trophy ceremony postgame, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was loudly booed by the entire crowd, capping off what will likely go down in history as the most controversial season in the league’s history.
The seven games of the Finals were clouded by fan fury after both teams opted to leave the field for the pregame national anthems, with the players labeled as unpatriotic by stunned fans watching from homeThe Finals series was also hampered by scheduling chaos, with Game 6 forced to be played at lunchtime on Thursday to avoid it having to be played in a tiny arena instead.
More widely, though, the season has been marred by multiple controversies, most notably the transgender eligibility debate.
The storm began to brew when Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham told ESPN she did not believe biological males should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
Cunningham’s comments sparked protests from both sides of the debate, and two high-profile former NBA players – Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White – announced plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Elsewhere, back in June the league’s golden goose Caitlin Clark was involved in a wild confrontation with Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas, in which the latter appeared to punch Clark in the throat.
A wider officiating crisis dominated the agenda in the weeks that followed, with Clark among the players calling for full-time officials across the league.
Draymond Green (center) was among the big-name NBA players watching on from courtside
The Golden State Valkyries were competing in only their second WNBA season ever
Cathy Engelbert was booed by the crowd in San Francisco when she presented the MVP trophy
In July, a race debate unfolded after Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello used the phrase ‘protected species’ when discussing Dream star Reese.
The comment was deemed to have racial connotations by many and the WNBA suspended the coach for one game.
On social media, players across the league were subjected to racist abuse and death threats, leading to some of the biggest names in the WNBA questioning whether the league was doing enough to protect them.
Commissioner Engelbert has taken plenty of criticism throughout it all, with many claiming she is not a strong enough leader moving forward.
