Gabby Williams has had a career year in her first season with the Golden State Valkyries. She led her squad to the No. 2 seed in the playoffs with a 32-12 regular-season record. Now, the Valkyries find themselves up 1-0 in the WNBA Finals, in large part, thanks to Williams’ excellent two-way production.

Kelsey Plum Gives Gabby Williams Her Flowers

Kelsey Plum has had a successful WNBA career. The two-time champion in 2022 and 2023 with the Las Vegas Aces has five All-Star selections, made the 2022 All-WNBA First Team, and won Sixth Player of the Year in 2021. She certainly knows a thing or two about winning at the highest level.

Plum appeared on the “Girls Tripp” podcast hosted by broadcaster Allie Clifton and WNBA insider Jordan Robinson. The veteran star discussed why people should not be surprised by Williams’ 2026 breakout campaign.

“WNBA fans are now getting a taste of who Gabby Williams is … Gabby’s been one of the best players in the world for four or five years … In Seattle, she never got the opportunity to iso at the top of the key … It’s awesome to see somebody that has basically just waited her turn but has always played the right way,” Plum said.

Williams averaged a career-high 14.4 points with 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in 2026. The advanced numbers certainly back up Plum’s claims regarding Williams taking advantage of her opportunity. According to Basketball Reference, the Golden State forward carried a 29.01% usage rate in the regular season, smashing her previous career high of 21.0% in 2019 with the Chicago Sky.

However, Williams is not just an offensive threat. She made the 2026 WNBA All-Defensive First Team and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year race behind Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese. The Valkyries’ defense was on full display in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against Atlanta on Saturday.

Golden State held the Dream to just 8 points in the fourth quarter to complete a comeback victory. Atlanta shot 2-for-19 from the field and 0-for-7 from beyond the arc in the final frame.

Williams helped Golden State contain Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard throughout the game. The two Atlanta stars shot 5-for-19 and 3-for-14 from the field, respectively, as the Valkyries made them work for every bucket.

On the other end, Williams carried Golden State, scoring 26 points as the only double-digit scorer in her finals debut. She scored 16 points in the second quarter alone and brought the Valkyries back into the contest after the Dream led 22-14 after the first frame.

Plum knows Williams has “always” had the talent to become a WNBA star. “Gabby’s always been an extremely smart, competitive, play-both-sides-of-the-ball, winning basketball player,” Plum added.

Now, Williams is showing her skills on the biggest stage.