Seattle Storm F Gabby Williams Nabs Second EuroLeague DPOY Award

Seattle Storm and Fenerbahçe Opet forward Gabby Williams during a game on March 1. Credit: Zafer

For the second time in her career, Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams was named the EuroLeague Women Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday.

Williams, 28, has perhaps the lengthiest international basketball resume of any player on the Storm’s roster. She won a EuroLeague championship in 2022 while playing for Sopron Basket (Hungary) and EuroCup title with ASVEL (France) in 2023. Williams won her first EuroLeague DPOY award in 2021.

Though she was born and raised in Nevada, Williams, whose mother is from France, maintains French citizenship and has been a star for the national team — helping lead it to a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She won the Alain Gilles Trophy in 2024, given to the French basketball player of the year across men’s and women’s competition.

This season, Williams led unbeaten Fenerbahçe Opet to the EuroLeague semifinals while averaging 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals. Following the semifinal loss, Fenerbahçe will now play for third place against Valencia on Sunday, April 13.

Williams is expected to play a large role for the Storm in 2025 with Jewell Loyd now in Las Vegas. After Seattle originally used the core player designation on Williams, she signed a one-year deal with the team for a protected $225,000. She will be the Storm’s highest-paid player this upcoming season.

Continuing to add to her already large resume, Williams was also a two-time national champion with UConn during her collegiate career (2015 and 2016). Seattle will take its first big step toward the 2025 season on Monday when the WNBA Draft commences.