Gabby Williams

In September 2026, Gabby Williams helped France reach its first FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup final, which the United States won 97-79 [4][7]. She is a forward who plays for the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA and for the France national team, and she holds both French and US citizenship [5][8].

From Reed High to the 2018 draft

Williams was born on 9 September 1996 [1][5]. Nevada Sports Net describes her as born in Reno, Nevada, and says she graduated from Reed High in Sparks [8]. She played college basketball at UConn [1]. Chicago drafted her fourth overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft [1]. Her listed height is 5 feet 11 inches, or 180 cm [1][5].

Before joining Golden State, she played for the Seattle Storm, which the Valkyries' own signing announcement names as her former team [2].

Dual citizenship and the French team

FIBA lists her nationality as FRA/USA [5]. Nevada Sports Net reports that she has family in France and that she was naturalized under FIBA rules to fill France's one naturalized-player place [8]. The same report says she was one of 12 players named to France's roster for the Tokyo Olympics [8].

Two titles at UConn

Williams spent four seasons at UConn and won two national championships with the Huskies [9]. She finished her college career with 1,582 points, 1,007 rebounds, 482 assists and 305 steals [9]. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association named her its 2017 NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and twice put her on its first team All-American list [9]. She also received the Cheryl Miller Award, given to the top small forward in Division I, and the Senior CLASS Award [9].

Tokyo bronze

France won the women's basketball bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, beating Serbia 91-76 [10]. Williams led the winners with 17 points, and seven of her teammates scored in double figures [11].

Defensive honors and career numbers

WNBA.com lists her as a 2025 WNBA All-Star and a First Team All-Defensive selection that year. She had also been named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2022 [1]. The same page gives her career averages as 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game [1].

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase described her defensive range this way: "Gabby can guard one through five" [3].

Signing with the Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries announced on 12 April 2026 that they had signed her to a multi-year contract [2]. By early July 2026 she was the team's leading scorer, averaging a career-high 15.8 points per game, and she had scored 20 or more points five times that season [3]. Her career-high 27 points came against the Las Vegas Aces on 6 June. On 26 June she scored 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting At that point she was shooting a career-high 35.2% from three-point range on 5.3 attempts per game, and ranked seventh in the WNBA in usage rate among players with at least 300 minutes [3].

That season she was also named a 2026 WNBA All-Star starter, the first player in Valkyries history to earn that role. The 2026 All-Star Game is scheduled for Chicago on 25 July [3].

Alain-Gilles Trophy and the captaincy

FIBA reports that Williams won the 2026 Alain-Gilles Trophy as French Player of the Year, beating Victor Wembanyama by nine points. The award is decided by votes from FFBB members, former French senior national team players, French sports media and the public [4]. Evan Fournier, also on the ballot, finished behind her [4]. FIBA also lists her as captain of the French national team and as a EuroLeague Women champion with Fenerbahce [4].

Paris 2024 and the 2026 World Cup

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, France lost the final to the United States by a single point, 66-67 [6]. FIBA's preview of that tournament described her game against Nigeria as 14 points, 7 assists, 6 steals and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes, and noted that she became the third player in the 21st century to post more than 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and more than 5 steals in one Olympic game [6]. Asked about her role, she said: "I know my team definitely feeds off my defense and my energy" [6].

At the 2026 World Cup in Berlin, FIBA named her to the tournament's All-Star Five and gave her the Best Defensive Player award [4]. She led France in the semifinal win over host Germany [7]. In the final she scored 20 points, with three rebounds, seven assists and three steals, but the United States won 97-79 [7].