There's not just "Wemby" in life, there's also Gabby. If we call you a French basketball star, qualified this season for the final of the North American championship, the image of Victor Wembanyama should come to the minds of a large majority. We must now add that of Gabby Williams. If she does not stand out with an extraordinary size like her San Antonio Spurs counterpart, the winger has also established herself a little more as one of the figures of the orange ball across the Atlantic. The French international led her Golden State Valkyries franchise to the WNBA final, which begins Saturday October 17 (9:30 p.m.) against the Atlanta Dream.
The microcosm of French basketball is already making no mistake. Gabby Williams received the Alain-Gilles trophy on October 2, rewarding the French basketball player of the year. And the best was yet to come. The 30-year-old player has excelled in recent weeks during the playoffs, the final stages of the North American league.
“We always knew that she had incredible potential because she had everything,” assures franceinfo: sport Edwige Lawson-Wade, former French international and sports director of Lattes-Montpellier during Williams’ visit in 2019-2020. "All she lacked was skill in the beginning, it was also linked to the mind. Now, when I hear her speak, she has made enormous progress in this mental aspect. Today, all this potential is exploding."
Third final in 2026
European club champion in 2025-2026 with the Turks of Fenerbahçe in the Euroleague, finalist of the World Cup with the French team... Gabby Williams proves to be an essential talisman for the success of her teams. "She's a leader", deciphers for franceinfo: sport Noé Delaunay, creator of the site specializing in women's basketball Size 6. "She knows how to do everything, and do everything well for herself as well as for others. She's not the flashiest player. But she's a player who wins, and who also transmits beautiful things off the field. She's a fairly unique basketball character."
Like last summer, when Gabby Williams favored the Taille 6 media to announce her future WNBA team rather than the traditional communication channels used by the stars of the game (American media like ESPN, social networks, etc.) "This says a lot about her attachment to France, which is extremely strong and which she claims" believes Noé Delaunay. “She doesn’t necessarily want the cameras, but she knows how to handle it well when they’re on her.” Gabby Williams has managed to transcend the image of the player with dual French and American nationality, who arrived almost tiptoe into French basketball.
“Her journey is not the same as that of other big names: she grew up, she matured. She was not a big star from her first seasons.”
Edwige Lawson-Wade, former French international
at Franceinfo
Here she is now a key player for the potential WNBA champion. “An extraordinary athlete”, with “beautiful elegance on the court, with a great basketball IQ” as Edwige Lawson-Wade describes her, Gabby Williams is the leading figure of Golden State. Having arrived in the Bay just a few months ago, the San Francisco franchise is already crazy about it. “Print this: Gabby Williams is the best player in the world,” jubilant Joe Lacob, owner of the Valkyries, after his player’s great performance during the first match of the semi-final against Las Vegas on October 4. “The best player in the world, no one talks about it, but we’re going to have to start saying it.”
The right player in the right place
Long recognized for her defensive qualities - she was once again elected in the best defensive five of the WNBA season after being best defender in the Euroleague and the World Cup in 2026 - Gabby Williams is just as sparkling on the other side of the field in decisive matches. From 14.4 points at 40.4% success in the regular season, his average jumped to 22.7 points at 44.9% success in the playoffs. And even on a difficult evening like during her last outing on October 9 against the Las Vegas Aces, she remains the beacon of the Valkyries. Limited to eight points after forty minutes by missing two opportunities to close the game, Gabby Williams flew through overtime with eight of her team's sixteen points to victory.
“I was laughing about it because I couldn’t believe I had missed those last two shots,” she explained after the meeting to broadcaster NBC/Peacock. "And I told myself, if I smile, I'm going to straighten my shoulders, my head will stay high, and I'll take the next shot. I could have lowered my head but I wanted to show my teammates that I wasn't worried. And so they shouldn't be either."
That's the Gabby Williams method, a superstar by example before perhaps becoming that of an entire generation, like Tony Parker before her in the 2000s. "I was chatting a few days ago with someone who said to me 'my daughter, now I want to show her some Gabby Williams, no longer necessarily some Stephen Curry'" relates Noé Delaunay, in comparison with the star of the Warriors, Golden State's men's team.
“Gabby is bringing dreams to France and its young basketball players,” says Edwige Lawson-Wade.
All that remains is to overcome "another level of attention, pressure, looks" as described by Edwige Lawson-Wade, one of the first French women to have experienced a WNBA final, with San Antonio in 2008. Especially since Gabby Williams will have something to answer for, with Angel Reese, elected defender of the year, or Rhyne Howard, also present in the best defensive five of the season, facing her. A first trophy across the Atlantic would further support “this desire to inspire future generations”, says Noé Delaunay.
