Storm off the Court: Gabby Williams Continues to be a Student of the Game with Fenerbahçe

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Storm off the Court: Gabby Williams Continues to be a Student of the Game with Fenerbahçe

December 3, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


Gabby Williams returned to the Storm on Aug. 20 after winning a silver medal with the French National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She appeared in 12 games for Seattle, averaging a career-best 10.3 points per game and adding 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. She notched her 1,000th career point in September and recorded a playoff-career-high 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting in against Las Vegas during the first round.

Williams is spending the WNBA offseason in Turkey, playing for the historied Fenerbahçe Club, an organization that has 14 different teams within eight different sports.

"Fenerbahçe is a huge powerhouse in Europe," said Williams. "It's an honor to have this opportunity to play for such a huge European club."

Williams is used to these mid-year transitions by now, having played with nine teams between the WNBA, Europe, and National Team duties since being drafted six years ago. She prides herself on knowing how to adjust to any system she joins.

"A big reason that I can come to Seattle late in the season and adjust is because that's what I've been doing the last seven years. Going through different teams, learning new styles of play and new people, sometimes three teams in a year, it's that adaptability. I'm a student of the game."

Specific to Fenerbahçe, Williams is excited to get to play alongside one particular teammate.

"I'm looking forward to playing with this group; I've wanted to play with Emma Meesseman specifically for a long time," Williams said. "I love how she reads the game. I think it'll help me evolve in that sense, learning from someone that intelligent. That'll help me grow a lot as a player."

Williams has learned from hundreds of teammates during her time at UConn, in the WNBA, and on each European team she's been a part of. Each team has provided an opportunity for her to develop new skills, and she is now known for her ability to play just about every position.

"I've gotten to learn how to play all these positions, first a center at UConn, then a point guard, then a four, then a three, it's helped me become the player I am," said Williams. "The theory behind each team is different and I get to play Turkish style, French style, Spanish style, Hungarian style basketball and just learn from all these different people, it's a fun journey."

The goal, however, is always the same.

"Just keep winning. I've had some success in a lot of different countries and leagues, see how many stamps I can put. Let's try to get a Turkish one," said Williams. And she did, helping lead the team to win the 2024 Super Cup Women in early October, the club's second Super Cup title.

The end of another WNBA season means another transition for Williams. This time, she's excited to be in a new part of Europe, exploring the historic city of Istanbul.

"There's a lot of things I look forward to when I transition between teams and one of those is like, 'OK, what am I going to do by myself in this new place?" said Williams. "I have so many shows to catch up or offseason excursions and events I want to do [and now] I can because the season is much slower over there; I can't wait to explore Istanbul and explore Turkey, very much looking forward to the food and the culture."

Stateside, Williams is working on an exciting project in her hometown of Reno, Nev. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to follow along with Fenerbahçe's season this winter.

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