Reunited and it feels so good.
The Seattle Storm announced on Tuesday that free agent forward Gabby Williams has inked a rest-of-season deal with the team. Williams was recently named the Best Defensive Player and selected to the All-Star Five at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she helped lead France to a silver medal and just barely missed out on a gold by mere inches. She will join the team back in Seattle next week and will don her signature No. 5.
“We’re thrilled to have Gabby back with the Storm,” said Head Coach Noelle Quinn. “Gabby is a dynamic player who brings tremendous versatility. She’s a two-way player that can guard multiple positions and has a strong offensive game; given her familiarity with our system, we know she can have an immediate impact. Gabby’s Olympic performance showcased her world-class talent, and we’re excited to have her join us as we push for the playoffs.”
This is Williams’ third season with the Storm after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Sparks prior to the start of the 2022 campaign. She had a coming out party, doing a little bit of everything, and made a big splash in 2022 with the Storm, starting all 36 games and averaging 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting a career-high 44.4% from the field.
Williams completed the season recognized as one of the premier lockdown defenders in the league, earning WNBA all-defensive team honors for the first time after finishing eighth in steals (1.5 spg), 11th in defensive win shares (0.142), and 13th in defensive rating (95.6). She also finished fifth among qualifiers in steal percentage (2.6%), with the team’s defensive rating taking a massive step back, dropping nearly two points per 100 possessions when she was off the court from 95.6 with her on to 97.5 with her off, the second-largest change on the team.
Embed from Getty ImagesWilliams, who turns 27 in September, re-signed with the Storm midway through the 2023 season after sitting out the first half of the year recovering from a concussion suffered while playing for French club ASVEL. She appeared in 10 games and finished the season averaging 8.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
Williams rejoins a Storm team that has loaded up in her absence, adding veteran All-Stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. With a record of 17-10, Seattle is a half-game behind the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces for fourth place in the WNBA standings, which would translate into home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“I’m so excited to be joining the Storm for the rest of the season,” said Williams. “I feel more than ready to finally return to Seattle. I’ve missed the organization, my teammates and the fans so much. I absolutely can’t wait to come back and finish the season strong.”
Williams is coming off a riveting performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 steals in six games for France. She scored 19 points in the Gold Medal game against the United States, including doing her best Reggie Miller impression, scoring five points in the final five seconds of the contest, as the French nearly pulled off the impossible over the top-ranked team.
The Storm square off against the Washington Mystics Tuesday night in the nation’s capital, to wrap up a three-game road trip before returning home to face the Mystics again, this time at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, August 26, at 7 p.m.
