Gabby Williams did not suit up for the Golden State Valkyries’ game against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. And yet, despite not being on the court, she ended up having one of the most noticeable defensive plays of the night. That play, however, was executed against a cameraman.
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Trailing 87-84 with 23.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Valkyries were in a timeout huddle drawing up a play and desperately trying to salvage the game. Meanwhile, as the players gathered tightly around head coach Natalie Nakase, a courtside cameraman moved in to capture the discussion.
However, standing nearby, Gabby Williams took it upon herself not to allow that. She quickly stepped between the camera and the huddle, using her body to shield her teammates, slightly push back against the cameraman, and effectively box him out to prevent him from filming the team’s strategy. The moment went viral almost immediately after B/R W Sports shared the clip on Instagram with the caption: “Gabby’s an elite defender even when she’s not playing 😂.”
Reactions from fans were immediate and divided. Some were fully in agreement with Williams’ instinct to protect the huddle. “Very normal to not want your plays recorded for the world. That’s free game,” one fan said. Another fan, also in support of Gabby Williams blocking the cameraman, said, “As she should. There’s no need for cameras to be in timeout huddles when plays are being drawn up and discussed.”
For other fans, however, Gabby Williams was in the wrong. They argued that the cameraman was simply doing the job he was there to do and had every right to do it. “Gotta let them do their job. They paid for that access. I rock with Gabby, but that’s not cool, and everyone knows everyone’s plays,” one fan said. Another went even further, suggesting consequences that should follow: “She should get fined,” the fan said.
A third group of fans, however, took a more relaxed view entirely, pointing out that this kind of thing happens in the NBA all the time without anyone raising an eyebrow. “Yet the cameramen are always in the huddles in the NBA 😂. Not that serious,” one fan wrote, drawing the comparison directly. Another simply added, “They film NBA huddles and no one cares.”
Well, whatever the Valkyries drew up in that huddle clearly did not work. They went on to lose the game 91-89. With that defeat, Golden State now sits at 19-9 and third in the league standings. They face the Toronto Tempo in their next game and will be hoping to bounce back with a win.
This time, the expectation is that Gabby Williams will be present to put up actual defensive actions on the court. She had just recovered from a lower back injury before the All-Star Game. However, even though she played in the All-Star Game, the team chose to hold her out for conditioning purposes to prevent any further medical flare-ups.