.avif){kind=logo}
Anyone who’s traveled to the Bay knows that as soon as you step off the plane, you feel the energy of the city. The feel of the Bay is second to none: hyphy, crunk and hella swag. Everything moves with rhythm here. Loud, proud and unapologetic. The Bay doesn’t just support basketball, it lives through it.
It lives through the noise outside the arena before tip-off. Through kids wearing jerseys on BART. Generations of hoopers who grew up understanding that basketball in Northern California is tied to identity just as much as talent. The Bay has always carried itself differently. There’s pride in being from here, but even more pride in representing it correctly.
And now, women’s basketball finally has a permanent home in The City.
Coming off a historic CBA agreement, the League was shaped, more so than in years’ past, from a free agency period that played a huge role. Everyone was making moves that felt new and different, but also safe and comforting. Gabby Williams was one of the most sought-after players of the offseason.
Before heading to UConn, Williams was cultivated in California’s basketball culture. From the Bay Area Bulldogs to the Mission Rec Rebels and even some time with the Cal Stars, the roots were always there. It makes sense why the pitch to bring Gabby to The Bay was bigger than basketball. It was a homecoming. After seeing the growth of the Golden State Valkyries in just one year, she knew it was time to return to her roots.
"Seeing the difference in the dynamic between O [Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin] and Coach Nat [Natalie Nakase] is a reason why I came,” Williams says. “I saw how much closer and how much cooler they got in that one year and how much they genuinely liked working together. I think that speaks a lot to the culture.”
That word kept coming up throughout the conversation. Culture. Real culture. The kind that players can feel the second they walk into a locker room.
When the text came through from Veronica Burton to pitch Williams, there was only one question Gabby had: “How’s the locker room?”
To which VB responded simply: “The culture here is incredible…”
The buy-in to know and understand the culture is more than important. It’s vital for this organization.
Over a year ago, the Valkyries were a dream. “Bring the W to the Bay” echoed across social media, as The City waited for women’s basketball to finally have a home there. It took its time preparing for nothing short of greatness: The Valkyries became the first women’s sports team in history to reach a $1 billion valuation.
The rise happened quickly, but somehow it still felt overdue. For years, Bay basketball culture has existed loudly in gyms, parks and AAU tournaments across Northern California. The support was always there. The passion was already built in. All the city needed was a team to pour itself into. Now it has one. Pride is earned through effort. Through authenticity. Through showing up for The City as much as the city shows up for you.
When you rep this city with pride, they give it right back to you.
The expectations feel bigger than basketball. The Bay has embraced this team quickly, but with that embrace comes responsibility. Protect the culture. Honor the energy. Give The City something real to believe in.
That matters here.
So, who better to take on that responsibility than two of the League’s top defenders, Veronica Burton and Gabby Williams?
VB is known for her instinct and playmaking skills, while Williams can play in the pocket and explode when given free space. The two are fearless and ready for whatever comes their way.
Menaces in the best way. Determined, confident and fully aware of the great expectations surrounding this new era of basketball. Loud but centered, chaotic but connected.
Before cameras rolled, there was one request made: “Can you play Kehlani’s new album?”
Immediately, the room shifted. The speakers filled the space with the kind of energy only a Bay Area legend could bring to set. As the self-titled album bumped in the background, the duo laughed and fed off the same chemistry we had just seen the night before in the team’s first home win of the season, a 95-79 W over the Phoenix Mercury.
It felt less like an interview set-up and more like a reflection of The City itself. Basketball, music, culture and confidence all blending together in one room.
“It’s a part of your soul when you hoop out here,” Williams says of Bay basketball culture.
That has proven true. When you step into Ballhalla, you know immediately that this is a sacred place for fans. A place to be yourself, a place to champion growth, a place ready for whatever comes next.
For Williams, her first impression came as an opponent.
“That was miserable.” She laughed while saying it, but the meaning was clear. The atmosphere in Ballhalla is relentless. But now, after experiencing the sold-out crowd and hearing the chants for her instead of against her, everything feels different. “Even seeing the highlights from last night just gave me goosebumps,” she says.
It’s that serious. The Bay waited too long for this moment to treat it casually.
“It’s a culture of selflessness. It’s a culture of, I’m going to make you better, and you’re going to make me better,” Burton says about what makes the Valkyries so special.
After crowning an All-Star in Kayla Thornton and securing a playoff berth in Year One, the foundation has already been set. Add another All-Star to an already promising core and it’s become very clear what the goal is here.
People don’t realize how dangerous this new duo is. When asked to give a scouting report on each other, their answers proved everything we needed to know.
“This is Gabby Williams: an elite defender, but everyone always talks about her defense. She’s lethal on the offensive side of the basketball,” Burton says of her newest teammate. “She can get to the rim, she can score in the midrange, and she can cash from the three, so just a scary sight on both ends of the floor.”
Gabby chuckles before breaking down VB’s game. “Double-digit assists, zero turnovers last night,” she says. “That tells you what kind of player she is. Gets everyone involved. At the same time, a dog on both ends, gets to the rim, can defend you full court, three-way scorer. Just an all-around dog.”
The mutual respect showed up instantly. Not surface-level compliments either. Real basketball respect. The kind that comes from understanding how difficult it is to impact winning consistently in this League.
Chemistry in line, a couple of games together and already feeling the vibes.
“It’s been seamless, honestly,” Burton says. “I think it’s been really impressive just to have her come in, how quickly she’s [been] able to adapt, but also just be herself.”
Golden State hasn’t skipped a single beat from last year. Even just a few games in, what stands out most is the undeniable natural force of two players who understand what the other wants before the possession even develops. Their games mirror each other while still attacking from different ends of the spectrum.
“Probably just our energy,” says Williams, when asked how their games complement each other. “We’re both trying to get going in transition. We’re both trying to run. We’re not trying to call a lot of plays, just trying to flow in the offense. Score when we need to, but pass when we need to. I think it’s really easy to already understand each other’s cadences.”
That style of basketball feels very Bay Area. Fast. Reactive. Creative. Unselfish. Not overthinking the moment, just reading it correctly. And when both guards are locked in defensively, the game starts speeding up for everyone else. That understanding goes deeper than offensive flow. It’s rooted in sacrifice. In knowing what winning actually requires night after night.
Both have underdog stories. Burton, named the 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player, has pushed the limits at every stop in her career, and it’s working. She’s currently averaging 14.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 7.3 apg and 2.0 spg. Meanwhile, Williams has proved all she needs is a ball to hoop, whether it’s closing out games in the Olympics or shining in the W. Gabby is currently averaging 15.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.7 apg and 2.0 spg.
“I think at the end of the day, we both understand how to impact winning and whatever it takes to get us there,” Burton adds. “Whether it’s sacrificing the amount of shots you’re going to take on a given night or keying in on a defensive matchup. I think sometimes that can be an overlooked skill set.”
And that selflessness is exactly why this pairing feels so dangerous already. The dedication to winning, combined with the defensive pressure and offensive ease, makes you understand why this was a must-have for the Valkyries.
“She has my back, I have hers,” Burton says. “And when you have someone with that similar mindset on the defensive side, when you know you’re going to make the opponents miserable and get after it, it fuels me as well.”
Defense is personal for both of them. Not because it looks good on a stat sheet, but because it changes the emotional tone of a game. One stop turns into two. Two turns into a fastbreak. A fastbreak turns into a crowd eruption. Suddenly Ballhalla is shaking and the other team is calling timeout trying to survive the momentum.
That’s the identity Golden State is building. Not flashy for the sake of being flashy. Connected.
And when you watch Burton and Williams together, you understand why teammates feed off them so quickly. There’s trust in the way they communicate on the floor. Trust in the rotations. Trust in the willingness to sacrifice individual numbers for the bigger picture.
In the W, every night is a battle. Whether it’s five seconds into the season or a championship is on the line, you know you have to show up. But when you know you can count on the person to your right or your left, the matchups become easier, the wins fall into place and everything starts to make sense.
“From the beginning, there’s so much anticipation and build up. But at the end of the day, I feel like both of us are two players that just focus on growth and focus on the sacrifice that goes into it,” Williams says.
Growth has become one of the defining themes around this team. Growth in fan support. Growth in expectation. Growth in belief. That same soul and power that comes with playing in the Bay doubles when you’re playing for the Bay. The immense dedication to expanding your wings and being ready to fly is more than a mentality.
“It’s going to be up and down. It’s going to be difficult, but I think we’ll be able to look back at it with a lot of pride and a lot of gratitude for the journey,” Burton reflects.
Everywhere you look, you can feel the city embracing this team in real time. All of it matters. Fans yelling out of their cars to the players, congratulating them on their wins and encouraging them for the season. The Bay is felt in every thread of this team.
The City is in their hands, and they’re holding onto it with all their might and all their will. The Bay way. “A big reason I came here was because I saw the potential for longevity in this team,” Williams says. “So I hope if we look back at it, we know that it is really just the beginning of something that’s going to continue to grow.”
And maybe that’s the single most important part of all of this. The feeling that this is only the beginning. Not just for the Valkyries, but for basketball in the Bay as a whole. Because once the Bay believes in something, it pours everything into it. And culture is exactly what Burton and Williams kept returning to throughout the conversation because they can feel it.
So when you step off the plane in the Bay, know that the feeling you get, the energy you sense, is the pride and soul of The City welcoming you in. All you have to do is make your way to Ballhalla to see it for yourself.
SHOP COLLECTION