Gabby Williams Bluntly Lays Out Valkyries’ Next Goal After Playoff-Clinching Win
The Golden State Valkyries’ playoff appearance last year was historic. No other expansion team had ever made the playoffs in its first season. Golden State was the last team to punch its ticket to the postseason despite losing first-time All-Star Kayla Thornton to a season-ending knee injury. They weren’t in the playoffs long after a two-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Lynx in the first round.
Still, that historic playoff appearance created certain expectations for the Valkyries’ second season, especially once Gabby Williams signed with the team in the offseason.
With a 25-9 record, the Valkyries are second in the standings, and they officially clinched a playoff spot with their 78-70 win against the Dallas Wings. In the postgame media availability, Williams said that they weren’t exceeding expectations and that they had always expected to return to the playoffs. Later in the media availability, Williams was asked what was next now that the Valkyries had met those expectations.
“How many times do I gotta tell you we’re trying to win?” Williams responded, per a video on the Valkyries’ YouTube channel. “I don’t know how many times I gotta say I came here to win.”
Williams clearly expects that the Valkyries won’t just make the playoffs, but that they will also win in the postseason this year.
The Valkyries hope to compete for a championship soon
In February of last year, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported that for Valkyries owner Joe Lacob “the goal is to win a championship within five years.” Those are high expectations for an expansion team, but so far, there’s no reason to believe that the Valkyries can’t do it.
They built an identity in their first season and won without an established star on the roster. Then, they signed Williams, who had received her first All-Star nod in the 2025 season and perfectly embodies the team’s defensive identity. Fueled by the best defense in the league, the Valkyries soared up the standings. Along the way, they beat several other playoff teams and supposed contenders by taking down the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Atlanta Dream, and Washington Mystics.
This team can win a playoff series this year, which is the next logical step in their five-year plan after last year’s quick exit.
There have also been rumors that Golden State could be a destination for unrestricted free agents Kelsey Plum and Napheesa Collier next year. If they can land a superstar to pair with Williams, Lacob’s five-year plan will quickly seem more realistic than ambitious.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.