Gabby Williams Signs Contract with WNBA’s Storm After France’s 2024 Olympic Run
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVAugust 20, 2024
Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The Seattle Storm announced Tuesday they signed veteran forward Gabby Williams for the remainder of the 2024 WNBA season.
Seattle Storm @seattlestorm⛈️ GUESS WHO’S BACK ⛈️
Welcome home, @gabbywilliams15! 💚💛
📰 https://t.co/AexknHfEZI pic.twitter.com/CJrlm8bqnb
Williams, who spent the last two years with Seattle, is coming off a 2024 Summer Olympics in which she helped France win a silver medal and was named the Best Defensive Player of the tournament.
“We’re thrilled to have Gabby back with the Storm,” Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said. “Gabby is a dynamic player who brings tremendous versatility. 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. Gabby’s Olympic performance showcased her world-class talent, and we’re excited to have her join us as we push for the playoffs.”
Her Hoop Stats’ Richard Cohen laid out the salary cap machinations that made Williams’ return to the Storm possible:
Richard Cohen @RichardCohen1Seattle had $24,195 in cap space left. Yesterday, the pro-rated vet minimum to sign someone was $24,249; today it’s $23,491. Hence why this is happening exactly now. By coincidence, also trade deadline day. #WNBA https://t.co/qbpOijoTC5
The 27-year-old is widely regarded as an elite defender, a reputation she bolstered further in Paris. She averaged 2.8 steals while finishing as France’s leading scorer (15.5 points) and playmaker (4.8 assists).
The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant explained why it was nonetheless unclear whether Williams would suit up with a WNBA team for the stretch run.
The core player designation operates similarly to the franchise tag in the NFL. A player is guaranteed the supermax salary for one season, but their current team maintains exclusive negotiating rights.
Merchant questioned whether Williams, who sat out the entire 2021 season while focusing on the Olympics and nearly missed all of 2022 due to the WNBA’s prioritization rule, would prefer to preserve maximum flexibility as a free agent in 2025 instead of signing now and risk being cored next winter.
The Storm made the biggest splash of any team in the offseason when they landed both Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. The big bets have paid off for the most part with Seattle sitting fifth in the league at 17-10.
Reuniting with Williams doesn’t fully bridge the gap on the first-place New York Liberty, but the Storm will be a much tougher foe in the playoffs now.
