Golden State Valkyries win WNBA title, beating Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7

The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship on Saturday night, defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a decisive Game 7 before a sellout crowd of about 18,000 in San Francisco. The win made Golden State champions in just their second season, 534 days after the franchise played its first game. The Guardian reports the team was a 45-1 preseason longshot and that the title makes it the fastest expansion team in major North American professional sports history to win a championship. Gabby Williams, an eight-year veteran, was named Finals MVP after scoring 28 points in the second half. Coach Natalie Nakase, whose career path ran from a walk-on at UCLA to a coaching job in Japan's top men's league, guided the team. Owner Joe Lacob had predicted a title within five years.

The New York Post, the only right-leaning outlet in this set, leads with Williams' Finals performance, reporting that Michael Jordan congratulated her and told her to stay hungry, and quoting Lacob calling her second-half play legendary. It is the only source to feature Jordan and frames the story around individual achievement. Left-leaning NPR leads with the title itself and the team's second year, while The Guardian centers Nakase, her career path and a remark about the team's bond, and does not mention Williams or Jordan. Both left outlets stress the coach and the team's rise rather than individual players. Alternative outlet Defector stresses fan support and a title that lacked a redemption story, a angle the other sides do not take, while ESPN's piece is a ranking of championship teams.