SAN FRANCISCO — If only the Sky had had a clearer vision for Gabby Williams.
When they drafted her as the No. 4 pick in 2018, they weren’t exactly sure how to use her. Sometimes she played the four, sometimes the three. Sometimes she played backup point guard, despite never having played the position before.
She told retired WNBA star Sue Bird on her podcast last year that in those years, she felt like “the duct tape that closes the leaks.”
Now the engine of the Valkyries, her services are now a little more valuable than just leak-closure. The Valkyries offense relies desperately on her ability to scamper around and make jump shots, and a defense that feeds off her athleticism.
That was one big problem during Game 2 of the Finals: shots weren’t falling for Williams, and the Valkyries didn’t quite know where else to turn.
Williams' journey to stardom is unique in that her confidence actually blossomed outside of the WNBA. Experiences with overseas clubs helped her find herself as a wing scorer — and showed her she could be a centerpiece rather than just a compliment.
They also paid her much better. Maximum contracts in the WNBA used to be capped at $250,000; elite players could earn multiples of that overseas.
As collective bargaining negotiations dragged on in 2025, most of the game’s biggest stars were calling out that the WNBA wasn’t paying them what they were worth. Williams had made that clear for years.
“I wouldn’t say I was ahead of my time,” Williams said when asked about speaking up about the issue. “I think I was just answering questions truthfully. Like: I make more money here, so I play basketball here. Now this team pays me more, so I go here.”
Williams also prioritized her commitment to the French national team. Her grandmother, who is French, helped raise her, which motivated her to want to play for France. She helped turn the national team into a powerhouse; they almost beat Team USA in the 2026 FIBA World Cup championships and the 2024 Olympics gold medal game.
After the 2024 Olympics, former Sky star Angel Reese, then a rookie, jokingly Tweeted should come play for the Sky. But by that time, Williams had had enough of Chicago.
Not only was she discouraged by her limited role, management didn’t exactly leave a positive impression regarding their willingness to invest in the player experience.
There was also miscommunication with the front office surrounding Williams’ French national team commitment in 2021. Williams thought she’d reached an agreement with the Sky that she didn’t have to show up to training camp, but when she didn’t, the Sky suspended her contract and traded her to the Sparks.
Williams took it as a lesson on how the business side of the WNBA really worked.
“I think I was always like, "[The team] is my family," she said on Bird’s podcast. “Like I eat lunch with them. You know, [former general manager and head coach James Wade’s] wife was French. We were hanging out all the time. I was like, ‘These people are not your friends, Gabby. They're not your family.’"
“It forced me to change the way I think about these things and make better decisions for myself versus sacrificing my well-being. Which I was doing before, to just be anything for the team. I was like: you know what, I'm going to be selfish like I'm going to make decisions for me now.”
Her latest decision proved to be a good one — signing a max contract worth $1.19 million with the Valkyries, a franchise that looks set up for success for years to come.
