The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions. In just their second season, the expansion franchise beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on Saturday, October 31, at Chase Center in San Francisco, winning the first title in franchise history in the first Game 7 ever played in a WNBA Finals.
Finals MVP Gabby Williams led the comeback. She scored 30 points, including a WNBA Finals record 28 points in the second half, after managing only two points in the first half. Her 15 third-quarter points dragged Golden State back into a game Atlanta had controlled, and her nine straight points down the stretch — including a three-pointer that made it 60-57 with 2:18 remaining — sealed the championship.
How Game 7 unfolded
Golden State jumped out to an 8-0 lead as Atlanta missed its first 10 field-goal attempts, but the Dream recovered and led by as many as nine points, taking a six-point lead into halftime after holding the Valkyries to 24 first-half points. Williams then took over: three three-pointers in the third quarter, a 17-3 run to close the quarter, and a jumper that gave Golden State the lead heading into the fourth. Tied at 53-53, Williams scored nine in a row, Kiah Stokes added a putback for 64-57, and free throws from Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton closed out the 68-63 win.
The numbers behind the title
Williams finished with 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting. Hayes scored 11 points despite being hobbled in the third quarter, Burton added 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Stokes had eight points and 13 rebounds. For Atlanta, Jordin Canada scored 18 points, Allisha Gray 16, and Angel Reese eight points with 12 rebounds. The game was played before a sellout crowd of more than 18,000 at Chase Center.
Why this title is historic
Golden State joined the WNBA in 2025 and reached the Finals faster than any team in league history. The Valkyries are also the first team in the league’s 30-year history to win a championship without an All-WNBA player on the roster. Owner Joseph Lacob had declared in October 2023 that the franchise would win a title within its first five years; it took just two. Atlanta, meanwhile, lost the Finals for the fourth time in the franchise’s 18-year history. The series, the longest title matchup in league history at seven games, ended 4-3 to Golden State.
What happens next
Golden State will celebrate a championship that few expansion teams in any sport have ever achieved so quickly. For Atlanta, the wait for a first title continues. The Valkyries’ title run also sets the standard for the league’s next expansion franchises: a contender built in two seasons, crowned on a Halloween night in front of a roaring home crowd.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 WNBA championship? The Golden State Valkyries, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on October 31, 2026.
Who was the WNBA Finals MVP? Gabby Williams, who scored 30 points in Game 7, including a Finals-record 28 points in the second half.
Was this the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history? Yes. The 2026 Finals was the first seven-game Finals series in the league’s 30-year history, and it went the full distance.
