The Golden State Valkyries are WNBA champions for the first time in franchise history, and the celebration has reached the highest office in the land — well, the former one.
On Saturday night, the Valkyries outlasted Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream in a nail-biting Game 7 to capture the 2026 WNBA Finals. Gabby Williams, the Finals MVP, delivered a performance for the ages, and former President Barack Obama took notice.
“Congrats to the new WNBA champs, the @Valkyries ! Ballhalla was rocking all season, and this team was fun to watch. Enjoy the celebration,” Obama tweeted, adding his voice to a chorus of admirers.
The victory was a sweet redemption for a team that heard all the doubters last year. “All we heard last year, ‘We don’t have no stars, we don’t have no talent.’ Yeah, right,” Williams told the USA Network broadcast after being named Finals MVP. “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. … We just build a beautiful culture here.”
Williams, who poured in 30 points in the clincher, earned effusive praise from her coach, Natalie Nakase. “Gabby is our closer,” Nakase said postgame. “Closing with 30, that’s incredible. And to me, the MVP is the Finals MVP. That means you’ve got to play through the playoffs. You’ve got to grind. You’ve got to go through a seven-game series. She’s the most valuable player in the world, hands down.”
Owner Joe Lacob echoed those sentiments. “She’s been everything and more. She’s a tremendous person as well as an incredible player,” he said.
The series was a rollercoaster, with Reese's historic rebounding powering the Dream early, but the Valkyries' depth and resilience ultimately prevailed. The emotional toll on the losing side was visible, as Reese's family heartbreak was caught on camera after the final buzzer.
Obama's shoutout adds to the growing mainstream attention on the WNBA, a league that has seen ticket prices fluctuate wildly during these finals. The former president is no stranger to sports fandom, having saluted the Brewers' World Series triumph earlier this year.
For the Valkyries, this is just the beginning. With a young core led by Williams and a coach who believes in building culture, the future looks bright in the Bay Area. As Obama said, the celebration is well deserved — and the rest of the league has been warned.
