Gabby Williams, the 2026 WNBA Finals MVP, thinks that “as a female athlete, just our existence is political.”
Williams won the Finals MVP award after the Golden State Valkyries won their first championship. She spoke at the Valkyries’ exit interviews at the team’s Sephora Performance Center practice facility in Oakland.
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Speaking with CNBC’s Alex Sherman about the WNBA’s place in political and cultural conversations, Williams said, “Being a female athlete just automatically becomes politicized because we’re in a space where maybe we weren’t welcome before.”
The Valkyries forward said she and many of her fellow athletes understand that playing professional basketball has brought them a larger platform.
Discussing athletes’ embrace of their larger platform, Williams said, “I think it’s something that we embrace as athletes.”
Williams pointed to players’ past involvement in social and political causes, including the 2020 Georgia Senate runoff and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Predicting continued athlete involvement in social and political causes, Williams noted, “I think that’ll continue.”
Describing how the Valkyries’ home arena, the Chase Center, known as “Ballhalla,” helped her thrive this season, the 30-year-old French-American star said, “Being in Ballhalla allowed me to be myself.”
Recalling the welcome she received from fans at Chase Center and the confidence it gave her, Williams said, “As soon as I got there, I felt so welcomed. In the preseason game, I didn’t even play, and people were like (sic) screaming for me and welcoming me. And it just gives me a (sic) confidence that I think I can only get from Ballhalla.”
Williams claimed “Ballhalla became my safe space” and also thanked the Valkyries fan base “for just being themselves, because it allowed me to be myself, and that’s huge.”
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The WNBA Finals MVP said the Bay Area is a pioneer in these kinds of issues and topics and that she is proud to represent the Bay. Williams was born in Nevada to a French mother and an American father. She was a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut.
Crediting the Bay Area’s history of LGBTQ+ activism and advocacy at the Valkyries’ exit interviews, Williams said, “This is what the Bay Area is all about. The Bay Area is a pioneer in these kinds of issues and topics, so I am proud to represent the Bay.”
However, Williams also recalled getting hateful messages and death threats because of her views.
Describing the abuse she faced, Williams noted, “Obviously, I was getting plenty of death threats. There was (sic), you know, some security issues and stuff, and there were moments where I was like, ‘How am I gonna play through all this?’ And then I would walk into Ballhalla and be like, ‘Oh, that’s how.'”
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Williams said she would continue to use her platform despite the backlash, which she described as scary.
Just 36 hours after the Valkyries’ championship celebration, Williams said, “I’ll never stop fighting for those who maybe can’t fight for themselves in this moment. I’ll continue to use my platform in that way.”
Speaking to reporters in New York after a May 2026 practice, when asked what issues LGBTQ+ players in the WNBA face, Williams replied that “trans rights are our new battle.”
Expressing support for transgender athletes, Williams said, “We see trans people’s rights being stripped away from them. There’s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in. I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime. I don’t think it’s a problem in the world. It’s just another way to kind of attack trans people.”
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A clip of Williams’ remarks about transgender athletes resurfaced in August 2026 after Sophie Cunningham was quoted in an ESPN story, saying, “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport(s), who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
