Golden State Valkyries win WNBA title in second season

The Golden State Valkyries won their first WNBA championship on Saturday night, defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco. CNN, the Daily Mail, and The Independent reported the final score and victory. According to CNN, the Valkyries became the fastest expansion team across major North American sports leagues to win a title, doing so in only their second season. [1][2][3][4][8]

The Daily Mail reported that Gabby Williams led the performance for Golden State, while team-mate Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream suffered a defeat. The Guardian noted that Atlanta took a first-quarter lead after Rhyne Howard hit a turnaround shot to finish an 11-2 run, but Golden State ultimately secured the victory in the winner-take-all deciding match. [2][3][8]

Following the trophy presentation, Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase dedicated the championship to everyone who has ever been underrated or misunderstood, according to The Guardian. Fox News reported that both teams left the court during the playing of the national anthem before the game, continuing a routine that occurred prior to all seven games of the series. [3][4]

The Valkyries began play in the 2025 season and host home games at the Chase Center, with their practice facility located in Oakland. As FTMQ News reported earlier, neither franchise had ever won a WNBA championship prior to this series, which was played in a best-of-seven format. [12][14][15]