Golden State Valkyries Win First WNBA Title in Second Season

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals on 31 October 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco. The victory gave the expansion franchise its first championship in only its second season. Gabby Williams scored 30 points, 28 of them in the second half, and was named Finals Most Valuable Player.

Williams set a WNBA Finals record for points scored in a half. Kiah Stokes converted a missed shot into a key basket with 53 seconds remaining. The Valkyries finished the series 4-3. They had swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals after eliminating the Dallas Wings in the first round.

The team is the fastest expansion franchise in a major North American professional league since 1967 to win a title, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Owner Joe Lacob and coach Natalie Nakase had set a five-year target for a championship; the club reached it in two. Attendance at the Chase Center, known to fans as Ballhalla, was listed at 18,064.

Williams averaged 19.6 points and 2.6 steals per game in the Finals. She had joined the team in the off-season after making her first All-Star appearance. The Valkyries also added Kiah Stokes in free agency. In their inaugural 2025 season the club finished 23-21 and reached the playoffs, the first expansion team in league history to do so in its first year.

The series produced the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history. Angel Reese of the Dream was held to eight points in the deciding game. Stokes finished with 13 rebounds and two blocks, extending her personal Finals block record. The championship is the first for the Valkyries and the fourth for Stokes, who won three titles with the Las Vegas Aces.