Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams revealed that Michael Jordan congratulated her via text message Monday morning following her team's WNBA Finals victory and her MVP performance.
The Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on Saturday to secure their first WNBA championship.
Williams, who was crowned WNBA Finals MVP, shared the interaction with Jordan when asked who had reached out to her. "Michael Jordan texted me this morning, that was awesome," Williams said, according to ESPN's Kendra Andrews.
Jordan's message reportedly encouraged Williams to "stay hungry." She responded, "I’ve never been hungrier."
In Game 7, Williams scored 30 points, contributing three defensive rebounds, two assists, two steals, and four blocked shots. She had a slow start to the game, scoring only two points in the first half, but exploded for 28 points in the second half to lead the Valkyries to victory.
Valkyries owner Joe Lacob, who also owns the Golden State Warriors, called Williams' second-half performance "legendary." "That was unbelievable stuff," Lacob told Andrews.
Williams expressed that while she appreciates the media attention, the praise from her peers and former teammates means the most to her. "I think having so many past teammates, just genuinely who have followed my trajectory reach out to me," Williams said. "That meant a lot to me."
When asked about being compared to other great Bay Area athletes, Williams stated she is focused on cherishing the current moment with her teammates, acknowledging that this specific group may not play together again. "Unfortunately, we’ll never have exactly this group again. I’m just trying to soak in this moment as long as I can with these people," she said.
