WNBA free agent Gabby Williams is ready to return to “The Emerald City” and don her No. 5 jersey after signing a rest-of-the-season contract with the Seattle Storm.
Tuesday’s announcement comes after the American-French power forward contributed to France’s silver medal win in the All-Star Five at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a performance that earned her the title of Best Defensive Player. According to a press release, the 26-year-old will rejoin the team
for her third season with the Storm after a trade with Los Angeles in 2022 and an injury in 2023, which caused her to miss the first half of the season.“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.”
Williams plans to finish this season strong
when she joins the team next week. “I’ve missed the organization, my teammates and the fans so much,” she said. Head Coach Noelle Quinn said the team is thrilled to have the versatile and “dynamic player” back as the team pushes for a spot in the WNBA playoffs. “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,” said Quinn.Across six games with France in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Williams averaged 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 steals. She banked 19 points for her team with a stellar performance in the final five seconds of the match-up against the United States in the Gold Medal game. According to the Storm, in 2022, the WNBA player earned WNBA all-defensive team honors, ranking eighth in steals, 11th in defensive win shares, 13th in defensive rating, and fifth among qualifiers in steal percentage.
The Seattle Storm will tip off against the Washington Mystics at the Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m.