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Storm Star Gabby Williams Rips WNBA Referees for Failing Player Safety

Seattle Storm standout Gabby Williams put WNBA referees on blast after suffering an ankle injury.
Grant Young|
Jun 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (5) drives against the Phoenix Mercury in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Jun 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (5) drives against the Phoenix Mercury in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

While Seattle Storm standout guard Gabby Williams initially made a name for herself while playing for the UConn Huskies from 2014-2018, she burst onto the scene during the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she helped lead Team France to a silver medal (and almost beat Team USA in the gold medal game).

Williams then joined the Storm soon after, producing a solid (albeit shortened) 2024 season, but has been playing fantastically during the team's 2025 campaign. In fact, she seems well on her way to earning a 2025 WNBA All-Star Game appearance.

And she's doing all of this without, in her opinion, having the backing of any referees. This was conveyed by strong postgame comments Williams made after her team's June 17 win over the Golden State Valkyries.

"This is the second time where I'm attacking. You know, it's very physical. I'm saying something to the ref, 'Watch my landing space. Watch physicality.' I get laughed at, and it ends in my ankle getting turned," Williams said, per an X post from @Krysta____.

"So my angle is hanging in there, but it's starting to get very frustrating. I'm averaging less than two free throws a game. And I drive, like, I'm physical. I'm not someone who's avoiding contact.

"So I just hope that the safety of players starts to become a priority, versus the ego of refs," she added.

Williams has been known to speak her mind in the past, and this instance is clearly no exception. Hopefully, her ankle is healed enough so that she can compete in Seattle's June 20 game against the Las Vegas Aces.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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