Episode 44 - Golden State Valkyries Win the WNBA Title in Year 2

The Golden State Valkyries are 2026 WNBA champions, and they did it in year two of the franchise’s existence.

Golden State beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in the first winner-take-all Game 7 in WNBA Finals history, with Gabby Williams taking Finals MVP. We get into why Atlanta’s offense lived and died by the three over the last three games, why we’re not interested in any Angel Reese slander after she led the Dream in points, rebounds and blocks for the series, and why Natalie Nakase’s willingness to tear up her own script in the second half of Game 7 was the difference. Then it’s the NWSL playoff bracket, now that Decision Day did plenty of deciding.

This week we dig into:

• The WNBA Finals: Gabby Williams unleashed, Allisha Gray playing Game 6 with pins in her shooting hand, Kiah Stokes blocking everything in sight, and the Valkyries rotating defenders and switching to zone to break Atlanta’s rhythm

• Why the Valkyries are the story of the 30th WNBA season: $50 million in expansion fees, a billion-dollar valuation, 50-plus straight sellouts, an all-female leadership group in Jess Smith, Ohemaa Nyanin and Nakase, and over $100 million in revenue

• Finals attendance and ratings: all seven games sold out, including a Thursday lunch-hour tip, and a series that pulled 1.4 million viewers head-to-head with Monday Night Football and the World Series

• NWSL playoffs: Gotham’s first Shield, Seattle sneaking into the last spot on Decision Day, and our picks for all four quarterfinals, including why we disagree about Kansas City vs. Angel City

• Coaching accountability in the W: the Liberty moving on from Chris DeMarco, Houston keeping Rachid Meziane, and the long list of qualified women, especially Black women, who should be getting these interviews

We also hit the Goldman Sachs report putting women’s sports on pace for $3 billion globally, Alexia Putellas winning a third Ballon d’Or (and the nonsense about her speech), Ashley Sanchez’s 20-goal Golden Boot on a team that missed the playoffs, the WNBA Draft Lottery on November 15, Unrivaled’s 2027 roster reveal, Team USA at the IIHF Worlds, and the return of NCAA women’s basketball.

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