Winning the first WNBA title in Golden State Valkyries history on Halloween night sounds like the recipe for a rager of an afterparty. But for Valkyries MVP Gabby Williams, it was time to celebrate with a treasured loved one in a far quieter way.
Game 7 at Chase Center on Saturday night lived up to the hype, with the Atlanta Dream and Valkyries going toe-to-toe all four quarters. The game might have gone to the away team, though, if not for the heroic efforts of Williams, who put up 28 points in the second half to seal the 68-63 victory.
"I'm very, very proud of her and I'm just glad that tonight she showed who she really can be, because she's been our leader, she's been our offense, like the head of it, all season," Valkyries center Kiah Stokes said after the game.
Williams' record-setting night - she scored the most points ever in the second half of a WNBA postseason game - won her the Finals MVP trophy. "All we heard last year, 'We don't have no stars, we don't have no talent.' Yeah, right," Williams said on the USA Network broadcast. "We've got good people. We've got winners. We have people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game."
To celebrate, she came home to her beloved 10-year-old rescue cat, Halle Berry, and snapped a photo of the cat giving the MVP trophy a sniff. Named for the Catwoman actor, HB is a constant presence in Williams' busy life.
Valkyries star Gabby Williams celebrated their WNBA Finals win with her cat HB. (Instagram via screenshot)
"She comes with me everywhere," Williams said in a recent Instagram video . HB even has a kitty passport for international travel.
Back in June, when HB needed more care than usual, Williams told the Valkyries she was worried about leaving the cat home alone. So the Valkyries arranged for a cat sitter at Chase Center to allow Williams to cut down on back-and-forth trips between work and home.
The Valkyries will celebrate their win with a parade down the Embarcadero on Wednesday. And you're hoping to secure a wave from Gabby Williams, bringing a poster of her cat might be the way to go.
More Valkyries
- Here's what we know about a Valkyries championship parade.
- Amid tension of Game 7, Kaitlyn Chen wears hot dog costume
- Protesters showed up at the WNBA Finals. Valkyries fans shut them down.
- The Valkyries are WNBA champions: Here's the gear to celebrate
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This article originally published at Valkyries MVP Gabby Williams celebrates in the most low-key way imaginable .
