The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions. In just their second season of existence, the expansion franchise beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on Saturday night, October 31, at Chase Center in San Francisco, closing out the first seven-game series in WNBA Finals history and capping one of the fastest rises any expansion team has ever made.
A Halloween Night for the History Books
The winner-take-all finale lived up to its billing. On Halloween night, in front of a sellout, violet-clad crowd at Chase Center — fans in costume turning the arena into what supporters call "Ballhalla," or on this night, "Boohalla" — Golden State jumped out to an 8-0 lead and smothered Atlanta early, as the visitors missed their first 10 field-goal attempts, according to reports of the game.
Atlanta steadied itself and took control before halftime. The Dream led 30-24 at the break and stretched the advantage to as many as nine points, and for a long stretch it looked as though the visitors would spoil the party and claim the first championship in franchise history. Instead, the night belonged to Gabby Williams.
Williams, the franchise's first marquee signing, had scored just two points in the first half. She then produced one of the great halves in Finals history: 15 points in the third quarter and 13 more in the fourth, finishing with 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting, plus four blocks. Her 28 second-half points set a record for the most points in a half of a WNBA Finals game, and she was named Finals MVP.
The turning point came late in the third quarter. Williams scored her team's final 11 points of the period, and Golden State closed the quarter on a 17-3 run to take a 45-44 lead into the fourth. When the game was tied at 53, Williams scored nine straight points, including a deep three-pointer that made it 60-57 with 2:18 remaining. After Atlanta's Rhyne Howard tied it again at 57, Williams answered once more from deep, then converted two free throws with 1:40 left.
The finish was as tense as the rest of the night. Williams won a jump ball in the closing seconds, Veronica Burton corralled it and sank two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go, and when the final buzzer sounded, violet confetti fell from the rafters as players sprinted onto the floor to celebrate. It was Williams' first WNBA title after previous stints in Chicago and Seattle before joining Golden State this season.
The Supporting Cast Behind the Star
Williams did not do it alone. Tiffany Hayes, 37, who came out of retirement two years ago and spent 10 seasons with the Dream, scored 11 points in Game 7 and brought energy all series — so much so that head coach Natalie Nakase said she wanted to win for the veteran guard as much as anybody. Kiah Stokes pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked two shots to cap a superb postseason run.
Nakase's boldest decision of the series also paid off. After Golden State fell behind 2-1, she changed her starting lineup, inserting Kaila Charles and Hayes and bringing Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini off the bench. The move helped turn the series, and the Valkyries won three of the final four games to take the series 4-3.
Heartbreak for Atlanta — and a Record for Bonner
For Atlanta, the loss was a bitter end to a breakthrough season. The Dream were seeking the first championship in franchise history in their fourth trip to the Finals, and they were denied again despite a balanced effort: Jordin Canada scored 18 points, Allisha Gray added 16, and Angel Reese finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.
There was still history on the Atlanta side. Veteran DeWanna Bonner became the first player in WNBA history to reach 600 career postseason defensive rebounds, reaching the milestone with her second defensive rebound of the game. The 39-year-old, who joined Atlanta in August after a buyout with the Phoenix Mercury, finished Game 7 with four points and two rebounds in 14 minutes. Atlanta had also been 16-0 this season when Reese made at least one three-pointer — a streak that ended on the biggest stage.
What This Means
The Valkyries' title is a landmark for the WNBA and for women's sports in America. Golden State joined the league in 2025 as an expansion franchise and became the first expansion team to reach the postseason in its inaugural year. Owner Joe Lacob had declared on October 5, 2023, when the Bay Area was granted the team, that the Valkyries would win a championship within their first five years. They did it in two.
According to CNN, the Valkyries became the fastest expansion team among the major North American sports leagues — the NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB and NFL — to win a title. USA Today noted another striking detail: Golden State is the first team in the league's 30-year history to win a championship without an All-WNBA player on its roster, a testament to depth, coaching and fit over star power.
The result also underlines the investment case for women's basketball. Before Golden State ever played a game, its ownership set out to build what USA Today described as a premier franchise with an unmatched desire for greatness, and the Bay Area fans responded by filling Chase Center all season. The title run — and a Finals series that went the full seven games for the first time, in only the second season of the best-of-seven format — gave the league a showcase finale in its 30th anniversary season.
What Happens Next
For Golden State, the celebrations will give way to a new challenge: defending a title with a target on its back. The core that won this championship — Williams, Hayes, Stokes, Burton and the rest — will return as champions, and next season will open with a ring ceremony at Chase Center. The front office must also decide how to build on a roster that won without an All-WNBA selection, and whether to keep the group intact or add another star.
For Atlanta, the task is to recover from a fourth Finals defeat and find a way past the final hurdle. Canada, Gray and Reese give the Dream a foundation, and Bonner's record-setting postseason underlined the veteran presence in the locker room. The Dream have now come closer than ever, but the wait for a first banner goes on.
For the league, the Valkyries' story is already a blueprint. An expansion team that made the playoffs in year one and won it all in year two shows how quickly a well-run franchise can contend — and it sets a daunting standard for the next wave of expansion clubs hoping to follow the same path.
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