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Gabby Williams has led the Valkyries to the WNBA Finals in their second year of existence, but the veteran forward isn’t reciprocating the love she’s been getting from the media after feeling slighted earlier in her nine-year professional career.
“The media’s never respected me. I’ve never expected them to. So that’s always been in the back of my head,” Williams told reporters ahead of Saturday’s series opener against the Atlanta Dream. “Not in the back of my head, but I’ve never paid any mind to it.
“So, if media’s praising me now, I don’t care.”
The 30-year-old Williams signed a free-agent contract with the Valkyries in April after splitting her first eight years in the league between the Sky and the Storm.
The team posted a 32-12 regular-season record, with the two-time All-Star averaging a team-high and career-best 14.4 points per game and finishing as the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.
She has upped that scoring average to 22.7 ppg in eight playoff contests, including a three-game sweep of the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.
“What has touched me the most has been, like, I’m hugging [Aces star] Jewell [Lloyd] after the game and we beat them, and she’s telling me ‘this is your moment now,'” Williams, who played collegiately at UConn, said.
“Paige [Bueckers of Dallas] reached out to me, AC [Ally Clark of Dallas] reached out to me. Sue Bird. All these players who have seen closely what I have gone through my entire career, and who have reached out to me in support. That’s really touched me.”
Williams was the fourth overall pick by the Sky in the 2018 Draft; she made the All-Star team for the first time last season with Seattle.