The Golden State Valkyries just locked up their playoff berth for the second straight season, punching their ticket with a win over the Dallas Wings on Monday. With a solid 25-9 record, they’re sitting second in the standings, right behind the Minnesota Lynx. It’s a huge step for an expansion team that only joined the league in 2023, and guess who’s arguably fueling a lot of that success? None other than former Seattle Storm All-Star, Gabby Williams.
When owner Joe Lacob said they’d win a title within five years, a lot of us probably rolled our eyes. But hold up, this squad is for real. They set a WNBA expansion team record, winning 23 games in their inaugural year, and became the first ever to make the postseason in their first season. Now, in 2026, they’ve taken that next jump, proving they’re a genuine title threat. And they’re doing it without being some “superteam” built on a few massive names. It’s all about continuity and a strong collective effort that’s powering them on the court.
Williams, the 29-year-old wing, has been absolutely central to this run. We all remember her as an elite defender, and she earned her first All-Star nod with our very own Seattle Storm just last year in 2025. Since heading to Golden State, she’s exploded into a much bigger offensive role than we ever saw from her. This is the crazy part: she was a sub-30 percent career shooter from beyond the arc. Now? She’s hitting 34.2 percent of her three-pointers. Her usage rate is also way up to 29.3 percent, a significant bump from her career mark of 19.5 percent. Her teammate Veronica Burton put it perfectly to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews: “Because she is such a good defender, that’s all people really talk about. She had to take on a role that didn’t require her to score as much, and she did that with a lot of grace. So it’s been cool to see her now that she has been asked to score more. She has done it so fluidly. … I always knew she could score so I’m not surprised.” Burton, a reigning Most Improved Player, is also crushing it with 12.4 points and 5.5 assists, and second-year forward Janelle Salaün is a huge spark off the bench, shooting 39.6 percent from deep and second on the team with 13.0 points.
So, the big question hanging over the Valkyries now is whether this formula translates to postseason success. We all know the playoffs are a different beast than the regular season. Last year, the Las Vegas Aces proved a generational talent like A’ja Wilson on a historic tear can carry a team. As good as Burton and Williams are, neither has shown they can single-handedly win a series. If Golden State hits a hard ceiling, their front office might have some tough questions to answer about building a championship contender. Can this collective strength push them all the way? We’re all watching to see if Gabby and her team can make that next leap.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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