UConn’s championship tradition has a new home.  

Four former Huskies — Gabby Williams, Kiah Stokes, Tiffany Hayes and Kaitlyn Chen — reached the pinnacle of professional basketball on Saturday night, helping the Golden State Valkyries defeat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 to win the WNBA championship in a winner-take-all Game 7.  

Williams had one of the greatest performances in postseason history. She scored 28 of her game-high 30 points in the final two quarters — the most points scored in a single half in WNBA Finals history. Williams joins Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart as the only players from UConn to win Finals MVP.  

“All it took was good people,” Williams said on the USA Network Broadcast. “All we heard last year was that we don’t have no stars. We don't have no talent. Yeah, right. We got good people. We got winners. We got people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game. They don't care about scoring. They just want to play defense and rebound and just do whatever it takes.” 

The Valkyries trailed by as much as nine in the second half but found their groove once Williams got going midway through the third quarter. Williams scored Golden State’s final 13 points in the third quarter.  

Over the course of the seven-game series, Williams averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. On Saturday, she had a game-high four blocks.  

Stokes was an integral part of the Valkyries’ championship run. The 6-foot-3 center was signed in the offseason to be a backup to last year’s starting center Iliana Rupert. Stokes was thrust into the starting role just one day before the season opener after Rupert announced she was pregnant and would miss the season.  

Stokes held Dream star Angel Reese to eight points on 3-of-7 shooting in the closeout game, en route to winning her fourth WNBA championship.  

“I go into a team where I knew a few players, but I didn't know that many,” Stokes said after the game. “But just the coaching staff, I know Gabby from college. It just, it's like the perfect storm, and it was something special.”  

Stokes is the third UConn player with four WNBA championships, joining Sue Bird and Maya Moore.  

Chen is just two years removed from winning a national championship with UConn. The California native was just the last pick in the 2025 draft and was cut by the Valkyries just before the start of last season.  

Chen was eventually resigned midway through last year and battled to stay on the roster in training camp this past April. She took a huge leap in her game, becoming one of Golden State’s most reliable pieces off the bench.  

Hayes’ path to the championship was the most unlikely of the four. The veteran guard retired two years ago, stepping away from the game after a decorated career that began at UConn.  

She had 11 points in Game 7 and was one of the Valkyries’ most dynamic scorers throughout the playoffs, even at 37.  

When the expansion Valkyries came calling, she returned to the court, betting on a franchise with no history and no guarantees. 

Now she’s a champion with a team that didn’t exist two years ago. 

As the Valkyries gathered at center court for the trophy presentation, Hayes took the mic, and she pointed to something bigger than one team. 

“This is what happens when you invest in women’s sports.”