Golden State Valkyries Win First WNBA Title in Historic Game Seven

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 on Saturday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco to claim their first WNBA championship in the first Game 7 in league history.

Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 30 points, four blocks and three steals in 38 minutes of play. Jordin Canada paced the Atlanta Dream with 18 points, five assists and four rebounds in front of 18,000 attendees.

The victory marks the fastest championship run by an expansion team in major North American professional sports history, coming in only the second season of the Golden State franchise.

“All we heard last year: We don't have no stars, we don't have no talent,” said Gabby Williams, the Finals MVP. “Yeah right. We got good people. We got winners.”

According to NBC News, Williams scored 28 of her 30 points in the second half, setting a WNBA postseason record for points in a half.

The series win capped a strong commercial year for the league, which drew 3.8 million fans across 330 regular season games. Average attendance increased by 21 percent compared to the previous year.

Golden State advanced to the finals after defeating the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces. The Atlanta Dream reached the championship series by sweeping the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty.

The deciding game followed a scheduling controversy in Game 6, which tipped off at 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday to accommodate an event at State Farm Arena. The unusual start time drew criticism from the Dream ownership.

“Two months ago, when the WNBA finalized playoff dates and times, we raised concerns that the W Finals schedule conflicted with NBA games at State Farm Arena,” said Larry Gottesdiener, Robyn Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery in a statement reported by CBS News.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert defended the league's handling of the schedule, pointing to the high demand for tickets and the successful collaboration between the teams and broadcasters.

“The sellout crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 were a tremendous success, and we're excited to give thousands more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line,” said Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA commissioner.

With the championship concluded, the league enters the offseason facing questions about how to sustain its surging viewership and manage logistical challenges across its expanding calendar.