Gabby Williams earns All-WNBA as Cunningham is snubbed
Gabby Williams earned Associated Press All-WNBA Second Team honors on Sunday as Golden State teammate Janelle Salaün claimed AP Sixth Player of the Year, leaving Indiana Fever reserve Sophie Cunningham without the bench award after her strong and efficient 2026 campaign.
The AP panel of national women’s basketball writers handed out end-of-season accolades on the same day the Valkyries opened the playoffs at Chase Center. For fans tracking celebrity breaking news, the dual Golden State haul underscored how quickly the franchise has become a contender—and why Williams now sits at the center of that story.
Key Takeaways
- Gabby Williams was named to the AP All-WNBA Second Team after a career-best scoring season.
- Janelle Salaün won AP Sixth Player of the Year with record-setting bench production.
- Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham, nominated for Sixth Woman, finished behind Salaün.
- AP honors are separate from official WNBA league awards still to come.
Who beat Sophie Cunningham for Sixth Player of the Year?
Cunningham was put forward by the Fever after averaging 7.9 points on 46 percent shooting and 41.9 percent from three. Efficiency alone was not enough against Salaün’s historic reserve year.
Salaün averaged 12.7 points and four rebounds while scoring 509 points off the bench—the most by a reserve in a single WNBA season. She also set reserve records for threes (93) and threes per game (2.3), plus a league-high 27 double-digit scoring games by a bench player. She shot 39.2 percent from deep among high-volume shooters.
The Valkyries finished No. 2 at 32-12; the Fever were sixth at 28-16. Yahoo Sports noted the sides could meet in the semifinals if both win opening-round series. Official team coverage is on the Golden State Valkyries site.
Why did Gabby Williams land All-WNBA Second Team?
Williams led Golden State with a career-best 14.4 points per game and tied for the team lead with six 20-point games. She ranked among the league’s top defenders: second in NET defensive points (24), fourth in defensive WAR (1.4), ninth in defensive win share (.162), and fifth in steals (1.6 per game).
Earlier in 2026 she earned her second All-Star nod and became the Valkyries’ first All-Star starter. Signed from Seattle as Golden State’s first major free-agent acquisition, she has been the face of a Year 2 leap from novelty to title threat.
“That was an easy one,” Williams said of Salaün’s Sixth Player win, per The Mercury News—praise that also framed her own team-first approach on defense.
How do these AP awards differ from WNBA trophies?
AP awards are voted separately from league hardware. Williams did not win Defensive Player of the Year—that went to Atlanta’s Angel Reese—while Natalie Nakase’s Coach of the Year repeat bid fell to Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve.
Elsewhere, A’ja Wilson claimed a fourth MVP, Olivia Miles was unanimous Rookie of the Year, and Jessica Shepard took Most Improved. WNBA awards will be announced later, keeping more buzz ahead for Williams, Salaün, and Cunningham alike.