Gabby Williams' connection to the Bay Area crowd was on full display as Golden State Valkyries celebrated their first playoff victory since joining the WNBA. The star forward helped the Valkyries make history Sunday night, but her postgame celebration quickly became the most memorable part of their playoff debut.
After Golden State's 104-80 Game 1 victory over Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at Chase Center, Williams joined the courtside broadcast for her postgame interview.
With Bay Area rap legend Too $hort watching from the stands, Williams decided to give him a special shoutout. Williams explained that she couldn't let the Valkyries lose with Too $hort in attendance before turning toward the crowd and asking them a familiar question.
“What's my favorite word?!”
The Chase Center crowd immediately responded with a deafening, “B***TCH!!!” in unison. For those unaware, the moment referenced Too $hort's well-known catchphrase and quickly went viral across social media.
The two-time WNBA All-Star also made her impact on the court, finishing with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes while helping set the tone defensively.
Cecilia Zandalasini led Golden State with 22 points off the bench, shooting 7-of-11 from the field. Kayla Thornton and Veronica Burton each added 10 points, while Bueckers paced Dallas with 21 points on an extremely efficient 9-of-10 shooting.
The Valkyries now have a chance to close out the best-of-three series in Game 2. Golden State will travel to College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, for Wednesday's matchup against Dallas.
Game 2 is scheduled for September 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET.