Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams heads into the WNBA Finals on October 17 carrying more than the hopes of a second-year franchise. She carries the mark of Michael Jordan's empire, and a monthly supply of gear that most athletes only dream about, as reported by EssentiallySports on October 14, 2026.
According to EssentiallySports, Williams confirmed on the Club 520 podcast last July that her Jordan Brand endorsement delivers what amounts to a standing shipment of shoes and apparel. Asked whether she receives twenty pairs of shoes and one hundred outfits, she answered plainly.
“Honestly, yeah. Everything I have on now is the first time I have put it on. I feel like I don't really gotta wear things twice, honestly.”
For an athlete who has spent her career proving that women's basketball deserves the same commercial gravity as the men's game, the Jordan partnership is not a vanity project. It is a statement about value, and about who gets to command it.
How the Jordan Brand Built Its Court Around Gabby Williams
Williams signed with Jordan Brand in 2023, one of the label's premier female acquisitions. The announcement came from a pop-up design studio in Paris during the QUAI 54 tournament, with Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, and Zion Williamson present to welcome her.
The French star said the brand's commitment to women's sports gave her hope, and noted that within a week of signing, Jordan executives were already asking about her ambitions beyond the court. She has since appeared in campaigns alongside French footballer Youssouf Fofana, starred in Jordan's 40th-anniversary musical advertisement directed by Wieden+Kennedy, and debuted a custom Jordan Heir Series 2 player edition at a fan event in Berlin with KICKZ just last month.
She does not yet have a signature shoe. But she wears exclusive player editions regularly, including the Jordan Heir Series 2 PE, the Jordan Luka 5 “Graffiti,” and the Jordan Triangle “NY vs. NY.”
From the Flu Game to the Finals: The Mentality Behind the Wardrobe
Williams draws her motivation from the most famous night of Jordan's career. Asked about her favorite MJ moment, she named the Flu Game.
“Because there's moments where I don't feel good, and I'm like, ‘Ok, today is my MJ Flu Game, put me in!' It's my motivation.”
That mentality showed in the semifinals. The Valkyries swept the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, the team that had tormented Williams in previous seasons, with the forward scoring 25, 20, and 16 points across three games against five-time MVP A'ja Wilson.
Even Jasmine Jordan, Michael Jordan's daughter, who runs women's sports marketing for the brand, celebrated publicly on Instagram, posting that she woke up to the win and “couldn't be more prouddddd.”
Why This Matters Beyond the Court
There is a lesson here that Ethiopian readers should not miss. Williams represents a new generation of athletes who refuse to accept that excellence must be modest, that a woman playing professional basketball should be grateful for scraps. Jordan Brand bet on her, and she answered with a Finals run in a franchise's second season.
This is the same logic we have argued before when examining how Ethiopia should approach