The Valkyries did it again. Golden State knocked off the Wings on Monday night at Chase Center, and with the win comes a piece of history no expansion franchise has ever managed before: back-to-back playoff berths right out of the gate.
Gabby Williams was the engine. She dropped 23 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and tied her season-high with 4 steals as Golden State pulled away from Dallas. It's the kind of two-way night that's basically been her calling card all year — the reason a roster that didn't exist 2 years ago is now a playoff regular.
Gabby Williams' 23-point, 7-rebound, 4-steal line against the Wings, capped off with the clinching win.
Last September, the Valkyries clinched their first-ever playoff spot against this exact same Dallas team, so there's a little poetry in how this one played out. Back then it was the story of an expansion franchise shocking the league in year one under Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase. This year it's confirmation — proof that the 2025 run wasn't a fluke built on new-team novelty, but a program that's actually built to last.
Williams put it best after the final buzzer, saying the achievement itself almost mattered less than the way Golden State got there.
Gabby Williams on what the clinch means to her, saying she's more excited about how the Valkyries did it than the fact that they did it at all.
That confidence tracks with the season Golden State's had. The Valkyries have been one of the league's hottest teams down the stretch, and Monday's win was part of a run that's carried them well past their inaugural win total. No expansion team had ever even sniffed the postseason before the Valkyries showed up — now they've made it a habit, and the celebration back in the Bay reflected just how big a deal that is for a fan base that's barely 2 years old.
Postgame scenes from the Bay Area! The @valkyries are the FIRST expansion team in WNBA history to reach the postseason in each of their first two seasons 🔥
The regular season still has business left, with seeding very much up for grabs, but the ticket to October is punched. For a franchise that didn't even have a roster 2 years ago, that's the story: no rebuilding, no growing pains, just 2 playoff berths in 2 tries.