Long before she was a superstar athlete, before she was a starter in the Olympics basketball gold medal game in 2024 or in the WNBA All-Star game last month, Gabby Williams was a kid from Reno, Nevada, with deep roots in the Bay.
Williams, a dual citizen of the US and France, said her earliest memories of Oakland are about family and food. She remembers her aunt as being the greatest cook (“Still is,” Williams clarified), so well known for her famous peach cobbler that she would sell it from a food truck. Sometimes a young Williams would be there helping her out.
The week after Williams signed with the Golden State Valkyries as a free agent in April, she remembers heading to her cousin’s Oakland home for a fantastic meal with her family. “She threw down,” Williams said of the cooking skills on display. To this day, Williams’ favorite places in Oakland are being at home or visiting food trucks.
The culture of Oakland is a part of why Williams is who she is. A fan of contemporary Oakland artists like Kehlani, she marvels that music she listened to when she was younger, like E-40, Mac Dre and Too $hort (“I was definitely not supposed to be listening to it,” Williams laughed) is still popular today. In fact, like a message from her own past, Too $hort is the Valkyries intro music from their games at Chase Center.
As a basketball player, Williams has a style of play reminiscent of some of Oakland’s greats — Bill Russell, Gary Payton and Jason Kidd — who were known for their defensive impact, team leadership, and all-around game. “Maybe it’s Oakland,” she said, reflecting on how when she played for Coach Alfonso Joo’s AAU team, the Bay Area BullDawgs, players were expected to do a little bit of everything, including play an extra game if another team didn’t show up, fill in as a scorekeeper, or stay late to sweep the gym floor. As the reigning steals leader in the WNBA and an All-Defensive First Team player, Williams credits the BullDawgs with providing her first opportunity to play a full court press defense or guard someone full court for the entire game.
The defensive mentality that Williams picked up on the BullDawgs as a young player is a perfect fit for the Valkyries’ team identity today. Golden State, with a record of 24-9, currently sits in second place in the WNBA standings on the strength of their suffocating number one defense in the league. Williams and her teammates are legitimate contenders to win it all.
The Valkyries are a great basketball story, but the discourse around them isn’t just about basketball. As the WNBA has been hijacked by the culture wars in recent weeks, Williams has shown her mettle off the court, too.
The latest drama began in late July, when Indiana Fever bench player Sophie Cunningham made comments to ESPN advocating a ban on trans athletes. Whatever Cunningham’s intent, her words proved to be MAGA-bait, and they lured anti-trans demonstrations to Indiana Fever games, including one in Portland where Cunningham posed with some of the anti-trans agitators.
Some of the most powerful people in the WNBA, from commissioner Cathy Englebert to superstar Caitlin Clark, have sought to avoid taking a position on trans inclusion in sports. And that makes the league’s voices for inclusion even more significant.
Valkyries’ coach Natalie Nakase is one of them, saying recently, “I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women.”
Williams is another. Comments she made some months ago have recently been resurfaced and celebrated by LGBTQ advocates in light of the controversy. In May, she told a reporter, “I think trans rights now are our new battle,” she said. “We see trans people’s rights being stripped away from them. There’s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in. I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime.”
Williams is known as an out and outspoken athlete, and she told The Oaklandside that her advocacy for the LGBTQ community has Oakland roots.
“As a black queer woman growing up here, it’s a welcoming and safe feeling. I’m lucky,” she said. “It’s made me who I am today.”
“It’s too bad that just being ourselves is being politicized,” she said.
Williams shoots the ball against Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga during a WNBA basketball game in Seattle, May 8, 2026.
" data-large-file="https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-1600x1066.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-478536" srcset="https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-1600x1066.jpg 1600w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-600x400.jpg 600w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-768x512.jpg 768w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-1200x799.jpg 1200w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-780x520.jpg 780w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-400x266.jpg 400w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-706x470.jpg 706w, https://oaklandside.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26130856800412-150x100.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"/>Williams is famously close friends with Sasha Colby, a trans woman, drag icon (“your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen”), and former champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race. When Colby emceed the Valkyries’ Pride Night celebration on June 26, she wore Williams’ jersey, No. 1. The team won 78-75 against the Atlanta Dream.
The Oaklandside caught up with Williams in August at a team practice at the Sephora Performance Center in downtown Oakland just days before Oakland’s Pride Parade on August 16. The All-Star had a message for all the people celebrating in her adopted hometown.“We love you, we got your back,” she said. “Keep living your truth.”