WNBA Star Gabby Williams Found a Team That Asked What She Wanted. Then She Won a Championship

3 min readWNBA superstar Gabby Williams is proof that hard work and persistence pay off. Drafted into the league in 2018 by the Chicago Sky, the 30-year-old has been slowly building her résumé ever since—both stateside and abroad—notching her first EuroLeague championship in 2022 with Hungary’s Sopron Basket, being named a WNBA All-Star in 2025, and, finally, winning a WNBA Championship in 2026 with the Golden State Valkyries. (She was named Finals MVP too.)Yes, 2026 has been a big year for the forward, and she has only a couple more months to rest up before taking on her next challenge: debuting in the Unrivaled league, as part of the Miami-based Laces BC.“It's three-on-three, so you can't hide,” Gabby tells editors Abigail Cuffey, Amanda Lucci, and Jacqueline Andriakos on the latest episode of The Huddle. “The positive feedback that I've heard from people who have done it, [is] that the personal development side is great. Players usually go on to have great W seasons after doing Unrivaled.”How could Gabby possibly top this past year!? We’ll have to wait to find out, but in the meantime, she opens up about finding a home with the Valkyries, keeping herself healthy and injury-free, and building a life outside of basketball.Game Recognizing GameOver the years, Gabby has earned the nickname “the French Army knife,” due not only to her dual-citizenship (her dad is American; her mom is French) but also to her versatility on the court.Her role on many teams has been defined by what the team needed, whether it was creating opportunities or defending the paint. But when she went into free agency and signed with the Valkyries earlier this year, it was the first time Gabby recalls someone in the league asking what she wanted to do.“I was proud to do whatever the team needed,” Gabby says. “But it was nice to trust myself.” That trust—both in herself and from her team—has obviously paid off. Not only does Gabby say she feels more like herself than she ever has, but she has the championship (the Valkyries’ first) to show for it.Staying Strong and HealthyGiven how little downtime Gabby takes—she often spends part of her off-season playing abroad—she’s crafted a wellness routine that prioritizes stretching, mobility, and maintenance to keep her body in peak physical condition.And it starts first thing when she wakes up. “I'm a big foam-roller stretcher, especially as I'm getting older,” she says. “I'll spend a good like 20, 15 minutes first thing in the morning just doing my mobility stuff so that when I come to the gym my body's awake and ready.”At the gym, Gabby and her trainers prioritize accessory work over big Olympic lifts, to limit the wear and tear on her body.In the off-season, Gabby shifts from a maintenance mindset to an improvement focus with her workouts. If she wants to strengthen a particular body part or movement pattern (like being more explosive) this is when she has the time and energy to do it.No matter her training regimen, Gabby ends her day much like she starts it—with recovery. She loves an epsom salt bath and can’t get enough of her Normatec compression therapy.Looking Beyond the CourtIt might be surprising to hear a WNBA champion say “basketball is not life,” but that’s precisely Gabby’s philosophy when it comes to balancing her priorities.“I think that's why I've been able to have so much success in basketball is because I've learned how to compartmentalize,” she says. She credits that mindset to the coaching team at the University of Connecticut, where she played in college.“Coach said, ‘When you're on the court, I want you to be focused. I don't want you to be thinking about school. I don't want you to be thinking about your personal life. So while you're doing your other stuff, don't focus on basketball as much. Find the time for your school. When you're going out, go out, have fun.’”And so Gabby does just that, whether it’s solving a puzzle or picking up a new book. “It is just the perfect way to consume your mind with something else,” she says of reading. She’s even started a Valkyries book club, but it got a bit sidetracked by, of all things, the playoffs. Luckily, there’s always the 2027 season to start anew.To hear more from Gabby, including her undying love of figure skating and how she’s upped her style game, click play on the latest episode of The Huddle above.Amy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women's Health, where she edits the magazine's celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.