Gabby Williams leads Valkyries to WNBA championship in second season, beating Dream 68-63 in Game 7

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A fresh WNBA CHAMPIONS T-shirt over her uniform, Gabby Williams cradled the shiny MVP trophy in one arm and gave it a kiss. She held up a No. 1 with her left hand, then hugged and high-fived her supporters all the way to Golden State's locker room where she pulled on some goggles for the celebration.

Williams made her way back to the Bay Area where she cherishes so many youth basketball memories exactly for a chance to do something like this — to win it all and be part of building something special.

And she has done that all right.

“I just walked into a group full of love,” Williams said. “And that just changed the entire trajectory of my career.”

Williams scored her team's final 11 points of the third quarter and dazzled through the fourth on the way to 30 points, and the Valkyries captured a championship in just their second season by beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a sensational first WNBA Finals Game 7 on Saturday night.

“Gabby is our closer she stayed patient, she stayed with it,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “Closing with 30, that is incredible!”

Williams joined Penny Taylor in 2007 for Phoenix as the only players in WNBA history to score 30 or more points in a winner-take-all Finals game.

Jordin Canada scored 18 points, Allisha Gray 16 and Angel Reese had eight points and 12 rebounds for the Dream, denied another championship in the franchise's fourth try.

Gray made two free throws with 11 seconds left then Atlanta forced a jump ball — Gray against Williams — and Veronica Burton corralled it and converted two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go.

“I'm just so blessed, this is insane!” said Burton, cut by Dallas two years ago.

Rhyne Howard's layup tied it at 57 with 2:41 left only for Williams to answer once more with a clutch 3-pointer. She converted two free throws with 1:40 remaining, then Kiah Stokes scored a late basket. Stokes — now a four-time WNBA champion — pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked two more shots to cap her spectacular postseason.

Williams left Seattle with a great feeling about joining Golden State and its close-knit culture, returning to the Bay Area determined to prove herself as a WNBA star after all her international success — and now she's a postseason icon. Fans chanted “Gabby! Gabby!” throughout the fourth quarter.

“All it took was good people,” she said. “All we heard last year was we don’t have no stars. We don’t have no talent. Yeah right! We got good people. We got good people. We got winners. We got people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game.”

When the final buzzer sounded, the violet-clad sellout crowd at Chase Center went into a frenzy as players sprinted to the middle of the floor to hug and celebrate as confetti fell from the rafters.

“Ballhalla” had become “Boohalla” for this far-but-haunted Halloween night in the raucous arena. Now, with a women's championship to its name right alongside the one earned by the Golden State Warriors in 2022.

“We gotta build a bigger trophy case,” co-owner Peter Guber said.

The team that led at halftime in the first six matchups had won every game so far, and the Dream were ahead 30-24 at the break. Atlanta also had been 16-0 this season when Reese made at least one 3. The Dream's DeWanna Bonner became the first player in WNBA history to reach 600 career postseason defensive rebounds.

Nakase insisted to Williams at halftime the game would open up for her.

“Nat told me to stay patient, I trust her with my life,” Williams said. “I stayed patient.”

Nakase changed her starting lineup for Game 4 in a move that paid huge dividends after Golden State fell behind 2-1, inserting Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes and bringing Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini off the bench.

The 37-year-old Hayes, who came out of retirement two years ago and spent 10 seasons with the Dream, scored 11 points in the winner-take-all Game 7 and brought energy all series that made Nakase want to win for the veteran guard as much as anybody.

Valkyries owner Joe Lacob guaranteed a championship within the first five years for this franchise three years ago when the Bay Area was granted an expansion team, and in improbable, joyful fashion, his team accomplished it in Year 2. That after becoming the first expansion organization to reach the playoffs in its inaugural year in 2025.

During the victory ceremony, Lacob shouted out the team and its leaders, while Nakase, general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and President Jess Smith hugged. And Lacob thanked the fans who have sold out Chase Center for every game since Day 1.

“Ballhalla!” Lacob hollered.

“These ladies deserve all the credit in the world for the incredible resilience, every last one of them, and our coach,” he said later. “I can't even say how proud I am. I don't care men, women, whatever, it doesn't matter, that is an incredible year, an incredible performance, not only tonight but the whole playoffs.”

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams waves to the crowd while holding her MVP trophy after defeating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams (1) and center Kiah Stokes (41) celebrate a basket during the second half of Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams holds up her MVP trophy after defeating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase celebrates with her team after defeating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

The Golden State Valkyries celebrate their win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams (1) reacts after making a 3-point basket against the Atlanta Dream during the second half of the WNBA Finals Game 7 at Chase Center, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) reacts following a score during the second half of theWNBA Finals Game 7 at Chase Center, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Valkyries' mascot Violet lies on the court over fallen confetti following a Golden State championship victory at the WNBA Finals Game 7 at Chase Center, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) and forward Cecilia Zandalasini (24) reach to hug each other following their championship victory at the WNBA Finals Game 7 at Chase Center, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Atlanta Dream guard DeWanna Bonner (24) shoots against Golden State Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini (24) during the second half of Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) drives to the basket against Golden State Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini (24) during the second half of Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon (00) goes to the basket against Golden State Valkyries center Kiah Stokes (41) during the second half of Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) and forward Naz Hillmon (00) celebrates during the first half of Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals against the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) blocks a shot by Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15) during the first half of Game 7 of the WNBA basketball finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Lucía Pintos is training to become a teacher in Borro, a Uruguayan neighborhood hit hard by the spread of drug trafficking, where a parish that will welcome Pope Leo XIV in a few days serves as a fragile but much-needed refuge from violence.

“It’s a painful reality, because the children have to go to school to have lunch or an afternoon snack,” the 21-year-old Pintos said. “You can’t let your child go out to play or do the shopping because there’s gunfire.”

Leo will visit the neighborhood on the north side of Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, at the start of his Nov. 6-17 tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, which he confirmed despite his recent cancer diagnosis. The pontiff will visit the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which builds homes, promotes job creation and supports addicts in their recovery.

Neighborhoods like Borro live with the sound of gunfire and territorial disputes between drug dealers. Concerns about violence have led the government to begin patrols with armored vehicles, which were originally donated by the United States for U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“Families know that at a certain time they have to go inside,” said Rev. Pablo Coimbra, the head of the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. “When the shootings start, they throw themselves to the ground, because a stray bullet can hit anyone. It’s bursts of machine-gun fire, and the bullets land wherever they land.”

The Archbishop of Montevideo, Daniel Sturla, said that there is no other place in the South American country with such a strong Catholic presence as Borro. A day after receiving a Vatican delegation in preparation for Leo’s visit, he toured the neighborhood with The Associated Press.

According to an official count, of the 98 homicides registered up to September in Montevideo — 13.5% more than in the same period last year — more than 46% occurred in Borro and surrounding neighborhoods. Uruguay still has a low homicide rate for the region, with about 10 homicides per 100,000 people last year.

In October 2025, Interior Minister Carlos Negro said that Uruguay had “epidemic homicide rates” and vowed to reduce them.

As the dirt roads descend toward a stream adjacent to Borro, mud becomes omnipresent. It often seeps into nearby houses.

That landscape is now cut by a concrete road prepared for the papal visit. The narrow streets converge on a soccer field restored by the parish, where Lautaro Martínez, a promising young player, practices. However, training has been suspended these days as a precaution following recent shootings.

In this context, the church has become a refuge. Neighbors bring the wounded there because ambulances will only go as far as the church. Coimbra said that gangs used to expel families at gunpoint to set up drug dens, forcing them to seek refuge in the parish.

To combat crime, the parish is leading social housing projects in which residents are building more than 100 units with sanitation systems — an effort that in turn generates local employment.

“The presence of the church makes the difference between drug use and nonuse, between continuing to study and not,” the priest said.

Many young people seeking to leave a life of crime find solace in faith. On Mondays, the parish celebrates a Mass for homeless people, drawing dozens from all over the city.

“They come for the bathroom and two meals, but mainly to be heard,” Coimbra said.

When Holy Communion is given, most remain with their arms crossed over their chests, a sign indicating they haven't been baptized. According to data from the Catholic Church, in 2025 only 2,200 of the 30,000 newborns in Uruguay were baptized.

Pablo Acosta, 28, was born in the neighborhood and got mixed up in crime. Today he spends his days between shelters and the streets, works informally in local markets, and sends money to his 10-year-old son, whom he doesn’t see because of his addictions.

“I have a gunshot wound in my stomach and stab wounds. I owed money, I was involved where I shouldn’t have been, but for the past month I’ve been trying to quit using drugs,” he said.

Extending a hand to those who have strayed down dark paths and preventing youth from taking that road, Coimbra said, is the church’s task.

“They have no other opportunities, no club, no English classes, no rugby, and in some cases, barely any soccer,” Coimbra said. “So there is a lot of idleness, and that’s where we need to intervene.”

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A family gathers in the Borro neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

A person sits on a bench as Father Pablo Coimbra walks past on his way to celebrate a weekly Mass for the homeless organized by Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit in November, in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

An aerial view of the Borro neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Teacher trainee Lucia Pintos, center back left, attends a Mass honoring Mother Teresa at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit to the parish in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Father Pablo Coimbra blesses a person with crossed arms during a weekly Mass for the homeless at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit in November, in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)