WNBA Finals Game 7: Valkyries Beat Dream 68-63 to Win First Title

The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship on Saturday night, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco. The win gives the Valkyries the first title in franchise history, in only their second season in the league, and it closed the first WNBA Finals ever to reach a seventh game.

Atlanta looked in control for most of the first half. Golden State opened the night with an 8-0 run and held the Dream scoreless for close to five minutes, but Atlanta settled, and Jordin Canada scored 13 points in the first half to push the Dream in front. Atlanta led 30-24 at halftime and stretched the margin to nine points, with a first championship of its own in reach.

Williams takes over the second half

Gabby Williams changed the game after the break. She had two points in the first half, then scored 15 in the third quarter, including a run of 13 straight Golden State points, to drag the Valkyries back level. Golden State ended the third quarter ahead 45-44, and Williams kept going in the fourth, adding 13 more points to finish with 30. Atlanta had no answer for her in the pick and roll or in transition, and the Chase Center crowd rose with every basket.

The third quarter also brought a scare for Golden State. Guard Tiffany Hayes came up limping after a collision, left the game at the 6:38 mark of the quarter and went down the tunnel, before returning to the bench and then to the floor with 1:36 left in the third. Her return steadied the home team for the closing stretch.

A record night inside the game

Atlanta veteran DeWanna Bonner reached a league mark during the game, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record 600 career postseason rebounds. She got there on her second rebound of the night. The milestone came in a losing cause, but it underlines the experience Atlanta carried into the decider.

Atlanta had forced this game on Thursday, winning Game 6 at home 80-69 behind 23 points from Allisha Gray, 21 from Rhyne Howard and 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists from Angel Reese. Golden State had earlier won Games 4 and 5 to stand one win from the title, then had to watch Atlanta level the series. On Saturday the Valkyries finished the job at home, where their crowd has made Chase Center one of the loudest stops in the league this postseason.

What the title means

For Atlanta, the wait goes on. This was the Dream's fourth trip to the Finals, and the franchise is still looking for its first championship. For Golden State, the title lands two seasons into the club's existence, a rise with few parallels in the league. The best-of-seven format, in place since 2025, produced its first winner-take-all game, and the game delivered: nine points was the largest lead either team held, and the championship was in doubt until the final minute.