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Alexa Philippou
WNBA star and two-time French Olympian Gabby Williams is signing a one-year deal to return to the Seattle Stormleague sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Williams was designated as a core player by the Storm last month, keeping her out of unrestricted free agency. Sources said it was agreed upon that the team would honor her desire to be moved should she wish to play elsewhere, but Williams wanted to remain in Seattle.
Williams starred in the 2024 Paris Games, helping host nation France to a silver medal, its best finish since 2012. She propelled The Blue to nearly knocking off Team USA, which hasn’t lost in the Olympics since 1992, by recording 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals in the gold medal game.
Williams earned a spot in the Games’ All-Star Five and was tabbed the tournament’s best defensive player.
When deciding which WNBA team to sign with following the Olympics, Williams reportedly factored in which franchises would commit to not using the core designation on her the following offseason, which made the January decision by the Storm notable.
The 5-foot-11 forward ultimately re-joined Seattle in August, starting and averaging 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals across 12 contests. The Storm returned to the playoffs following a one-year hiatus but were swept by the Las Vegas Aces.
Due to injuries and international commitments — aside from her role with the French national team she has also put together an extensive overseas career playing in Hungary, France and Turkey, among other places — Williams hasn’t played a full WNBA season since 2022, when she was named to the all-defensive second-team.
She has been a vocal critic of the league’s newer prioritization rules, which require players to complete their overseas play before the start of WNBA training camp.
A two-time national champion at UConn, Williams was selected No. 4 in 2018 by the Chicago Skywhere she played three seasons before joining Storm. She has averaged 7.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists throughout her WNBA career.
The Storm have had a busy offseason, headlined by re-signing perennial All-Star Homening Toysbringing back Alysha Clark — a crucial part of their 2018 and 2020 championships — and now securing Williams for the 2025 campaign. They traded guard Jewell Loyd after she had requested to be moved, and received the 2025 No. 2 pick and center Li Yueru in return.
