Natalie Nakase Calls Gabby Williams the 'Best Two-Way Player in the World'

Natalie Nakase called Gabby Williams the best two-way player in the world Wednesday, ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream on Saturday.

The Valkyries coach joined Williams and point guard Veronica Burton on a video call with reporters. Saturday's opener at Chase Center in San Francisco tips off at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Williams signed a multiyear deal with Golden State on April 12, the second day of free agency. Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said in a statement at the time that the signing meant everything for a franchise in its second year, The Associated Press reported.

Williams told Nakase in her free agency meeting that she had played for a Seattle team with four All-Stars and still went out in the first round, the same as Golden State.

"I honestly noticed it playing here last year, like playing in Ballhalla last year and watching them from afar," Williams said. "Because I said it to Nat in my free agency meeting. I was like, I played for a team with four All-Stars that finished, that had a first-round exit the same the Valkyries did. We finished on the same level. And just realizing how far culture gets you. And that's what made me kind of realize. It made me interested to see, okay, what is this formula?"

"And then once I had my free agency meeting, I was like, oh, I get it," Williams continued. "Nat and O asked me so many questions about myself, about what gets me going, about what works for me. And I was like, oh, they really try to just get the best out of every single player. And that's the formula. That's why they're going to be a team that contends. And I believed in it from the beginning, and I said it from the day I got here, that I believe that this was a team that would contend."

Golden State's 2025 expansion season ended with a 23-21 record and a first-round loss to Minnesota. The Valkyries went 32-12 this season and earned the No. 2 seed.

Williams had played the previous four seasons in Seattle. In her last year with the Storm, she set career highs with 11.6 points and 4.2 assists per game. Her 2.3 steals per game led the league. She was an All-Star for the first time and made the All-Defensive first team, and she placed third for Defensive Player of the Year.

What Nakase remembers from the conversation is what Williams never asked about. Minutes and shots did not come up.

"Gabby to me, like in terms of our conversation, just her humility," Nakase said. "She came off and she is, she's just a humble star. Like she didn't want a lot, never talked about minutes, never talked about shots, never talked, and I'm like, wow, like she is so talented. She's one of the best two-way players in the world. I think she is one of, she is the best two-way player in the world. I mean, and she's not asking for anything. She just was asking for a culture that was really a culture that loved and cared about people and brought out the best."

Nakase believed that mindset made Williams an immediate fit for Golden State.

"And I was like, that's it," Nakase continued. "So I knew it was going to be an instant fit if she just said yes. But it wasn't me, it was Joe, it was our owner. He really locked it in. He's really good in those situations. That's where his experience led, in our leadership group and Ohemaa. So yeah, it was definitely a team effort to get Gabby, but her humility, and it still thrives. Like look at her now. Like she just doesn't like credit, and it's always about the team, and I think your leaders have to thrive in that too."

Joe Lacob owns the Valkyries and the Golden State Warriors. Before Nyanin was hired as the franchise's first general manager in May 2024, Lacob had set a goal of a WNBA title within five years, NBC Sports Bay Area reported.

Williams was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist this season. Atlanta's Angel Reese won the award, and Reese has credited Dream coach Karl Smesko for pushing her development as a 3-point shooter.

Golden State finished the regular season with the league's best defensive rating at 99.1, according to the team. Atlanta was third at 103.5. In the playoffs, Williams is tied for sixth with 1.7 steals per game.

Against Atlanta, Williams averaged 19.3 points across three regular-season meetings, all Valkyries wins. She scored 23 points in a 77-66 win on June 24 and 13 fourth-quarter points two days later in a 78-75 win.

The Valkyries reached the Finals with an 87-77 overtime win over the Aces in Las Vegas on Oct. 9. Williams scored eight of her 16 points in overtime, including a step-back jumper with 54.7 seconds left.

Williams won Olympic bronze with France in 2021 and silver in 2024. Chicago drafted her fourth overall in 2018 and traded her to Los Angeles in 2021.

Game 2 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center on USA and Peacock. The Dream will host Games 3 and 4 at State Farm Arena on Oct. 21 and Oct. 24.