SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gabby Williams hopped off a double-decker bus and began dancing through the streets, blowing a whistle to the beat and slapping high-fives with fans all while keeping her WNBA Finals MVP trophy safely tucked in her left arm.
Then she called for teammate Kiah Stokes to join her and they popped champagne and enjoyed it among the first group in the Valkyries' victory parade on a picture-perfect Wednesday afternoon along San Francisco's
waterfront.
“I love this,!” Stokes said, before joining in with the crowd chanting “MVP!” for Williams.
The Valkyries began their day of celebration at Oakland's Jack London Square neighborhood, not far from the team's downtown practice facility, then took a ferry across the bay to begin the parade from San Francisco's Ferry Building. It concluded near the San Francisco Giants' Oracle Park, and the baseball team's manager, Tony Vitello, was among those supporting the women's team on the route.
It was an important move for the team to honor and include both cities and the franchise's strong support systems from throughout Northern California.
Zaelani Fowler, 3, watched the parade with mom Brittanee and held a “Girl Power” sign with a heart saying “We Love” with each of the players' numbers.
“Making history,” the mother said. “To actually be here physically, it's amazing, and a beautiful thing that she's going to be able to look back at and say, ‘Wow, I was there when the Valkyries made history.' Girl power."
Fans were again encouraged by the team to “dare we say... call in sick?” when Golden State announced the afternoon parade along San Francisco's picturesque, popular bayfront after several thousand skipped out on work and school to attend a watch party on the big screen at Thrive City's plaza area outside Chase Center for Game 6 last Thursday, played at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time.
Avid Valkyries supporter Cynthia Cheak, who had her left leg amputated two years ago, was invited to be part of the parade. A former personal trainer who is always dressed in violet sparkles from head to toe, Cheak said handing out bracelets throughout “Ballhalla” gave her new purpose and improved her mental health. Cheak has gifted some 26,000 wristbands she purchased since July.
“It’s a humbling yet a powerful experience being able to ride in the Valkyries championship parade,” Cheak said. “Knowing that a simple wristband could bring so many people together, showing kindness, support, compassion and accessibility for all! Remembering that anything can happen if you don’t give up and believe in ‘Ballhalla’ and the Valkyries.”
The celebration came after the Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 on Saturday night in the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history.
Three years ago when Golden State was granted an expansion franchise, owner Joe Lacob guaranteed a championship within five years — and this group led by coach Natalie Nakase delivered an improbable title in Year 2 after becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its inaugural year in 2025.
The Valkyries sensed how special this could be from the start and they played well together from Day 1.
“I believed it early, and we continued to get better,” point guard Veronica Burton said. “And I think that's when it was like, ‘OK, this is real, we’re going to do this,' and it happened.”
Williams heard from Michael Jordan among the many congratulations she received, and the star guard and her teammates also were honored on the court at Chase Center during the Golden State Warriors' game Sunday night.
On another double-decker bus, 14-year veteran Tiffany Hayes fittingly held the championship trophy, the 37-year-old guard having captured her first WNBA title at last after coming out of retirement two years ago to help the Valkyries win.
Kaitlyn Chen and Veronica Burton also climbed off a bus and made their way across The Embarcadero to greet fans, honoring those from “Ballhalla” who have meant so much to this bunch and the winning journey in just two years.
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