The WNBA has seen a number of rising stars emerge over the past few seasons, including Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings and Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream.
However, Phoenix Mercury All-Star Kelsey Plumb recently revealed who she thinks could become the league’s next superstar. During a chat on “Girls Tripp,” Plum had high praise for Golden State Valkyrie star Gabby Williams.
“WNBA fans are now starting to understand who Gabby Williams is. Like, if you’ve played overseas or if you’ve watched Gabby play over the years, Gabby has been one of the best players in the world for the last four or five years,” Plumb said.
The Mercury star said Williams has made progress since joining the Valkyries. Plum said that when Williams played for the Seattle Storm, “she never had a chance to hit a single at the top of the key.”
Prior to entering the WNBA, Williams played for the University of Connecticut Huskies led by coach Geno Auriemma and won consecutive championships in 2015 and 2016. She was the No. 4 overall pick in 2018 by the Chicago Sky, playing her first three years there.
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Williams spent four seasons with the Seattle Storm before joining the Valkyrie in 2026. Over the past two seasons, she has been a two-time All-Star and a two-time WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection. A WNBA championship could be the next accomplishment on her resume.
“It’s great to see a guy who’s basically just waiting for his turn, always playing the right way. But Gabby has always been a very smart, competitive, basketball player who can play, win,” Plum said.
A variety of factors could contribute to Williams’ superstar potential. In addition to playing for the University of Connecticut, she also played overseas for several teams. Williams represented France internationally and competed at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
Plum said Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase appears to have handed Williams the keys and allowed him to “take off.” That appears to be the case based on Williams’ performance last season, as she averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Golden State Warriors, who earned the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs.
Afterwards, Williams led her team to a 3-0 sweep of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals and helped her team reach the WNBA Finals.
Williams then led her team to a 1-0 lead over Reese and the Dream. In the first game, she made 8 of 22 shots and 7 of 8 free throws, scoring 26 points. In addition to this, the Valkyrie star also contributed 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
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