WNBA Finals MVP Gabby Williams: 'Our existence is political'

Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams doesn't expect the political and cultural issues swirling around the WNBA to go away anytime soon. Fresh off the Valkyries' first championship and winning the Finals MVP award, Williams spoke with CNBC's Alex Sherman about the league's place in those conversations. The WNBA has been at the forefront of several political and cultural issues this season, ranging from race to sexuality. "I think as a female athlete, just our existence is political," Williams said. "Being a female athlete just automatically becomes politicized because we're in a space where maybe we weren't welcome before." Williams said that she and many of her fellow athletes understand the fact that that playing professional basketball has brought them a larger platform. "I think it's something that we embrace as athletes," Williams said, pointing to players' past involvement in political and social causes, including the 2020 Georgia Senate runoff and the Black Lives Matter movement. "I think that'll continue," she said. The 30-year-old basketball player, born in Nevada to an American father and a French mother, said she grew up watching the Black Lives Matter movement while a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut. "Realizing, oh, wow, these aren't just basketball players. They're leaders in our community. I was actually looking forward to that part of the W," she said. Williams has used her platform to speak out in support of transgender rights, a topic that became a flashpoint for the league this season after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham argued that transgender women should not compete in women's sports. Williams has maintained that sports should be open to everyone, and she's revealed that's she gotten hateful messages and death threats because of her views. Williams said the Valkyries’ home arena, the Chase Center, which has become known as "Ballhalla" for its electric atmosphere, helped her feel welcome and gave her the confidence to thrive this season. "Being in Ballhalla allowed me to be myself," Williams said. "As soon as I got there, I felt so welcomed. In the preseason game, I didn't even play, and people were like screaming for me and welcoming me. And it just gives me a confidence, that I think I can only get from Ballhalla."