The Golden State Valkyries, in just their second season, are sending a starter to the WNBA All-Star Game. On Thursday, forward Gabby Williams — the largest free agent signing in the franchise’s short history — was voted as a starter for the 2026 All-Star Game, which will be played on July 25 at the United Center in Chicago.
For the Valkyries, Williams becomes their first starter, and their second All-Star,
joining Kayla Thornton in 2025. The 2026 reserves have not yet been announced, so we’ll have to see if any other Valkyries are joining Williams in Chicago.
Williams gets the nod for the second time in her career, after making the 2025 All-Star Game as a member of the Seattle Storm. The former two-time NCAA champion at UConn has been as good as advertised in her first season in the Bay Area, averaging a career-high 15.8 points per game, to go along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and her typical elite defense. She’s played in all 20 of Golden State’s games, and been the biggest reason for their 13-7 record, which ranks third in the 15-team league.
Joining Williams as All-Star starters are: Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever; Natasha Howard and Olivia Miles of the Minnesota Lynx; Paige Bueckers and Jessica Shepard of the Dallas Wings; Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty; and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.
All-Star starters are determined by a combination of fans (who have 50% of the vote), current players (25%), and media (25%), with four guards and six frontcourt players being selected. Williams ranked fifth among frontcourt players, finishing fifth in fan voting, fourth in player voting, and seventh in media voting.
The 12 reserves, who will be announced next week, are voted on by the league’s coaches. The two teams with the best record on July 10 will send their head coaches to the All-Star Game, which means Natalie Nakase will have a chance to join Williams for the midseason festivities. The Valkyries are 1.5 games behind the Aces and 2.5 games behind the Lynx in the standings.
