Gabby Williams & Her Fellow ’96 Baby, The WNBA

In Bustle’s The Pregame, we ask women athletes about their pregame rituals. How do they get in the zone? What do they wear for the infamous tunnel walk? Do they have any superstitions before a big game? Here, Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams chatted with Bustle before the WNBA’s 2026 All-Star Game.

Gabby Williams has never lived in a world without the WNBA. On Sept. 9, the Golden State Valkyries forward will turn 30 — the same age as the league itself.

That doesn’t mean it always felt accessible. As a kid growing up in Nevada, Williams says it was hard to find games on TV, and jumped at any chance to see one in person. The first WNBA matchup she attended at age 12 was between the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks.

“It was my dream to play in the WNBA. I didn’t think about how hard it was to actually make a living off of it, what it took to go overseas,” Williams says. She currently plays for the Turkish Super League and EuroLeague Women and represented France in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics (her mother is French).

Williams is in awe of how the WNBA has evolved, especially over the past decade. “Watching the league be where it is now — the money we’re able to make, the visibility on TV, NIL sponsorships, more teams — I just feel really grateful that we’ve gotten to grow up together,” she says.

Throughout her eight-year professional career, she’s gotten used to playing at the premier level. Still, she hasn’t forgotten what it once felt like to sit in the stands. “I try to remember the little kid who was so excited just to go see her favorite players for the first time,” she says. “It brings you back down to Earth.”

Three days ahead of the All-Star Game, Williams walked Bustle through her precisely calibrated pregame routine, including her visualization technique and the music that helps her win.

Do you do anything special to get great sleep the night before a game?

I take OLLY magnesium gummies — magnesium has always been recommended to me by nutritionists and people from our medical staff. It helps relax your muscles, so when you sleep, you actually get good sleep. And I’ll get a good hour in my Normatec [compression massage gear] and try to take an Epsom salt bath. It’s so, so, so, so important. If my sleep is off, then the whole rest of my day is going to be messed up.

What do you like to eat and drink on game day?

I usually do a lighter breakfast, probably a juice, a protein bar. Post-shootaround, I’ll have a good substantial bowl. I don’t eat meat, so I’ll do sweet potato with chickpeas, or avocado and beans. I drink lots of water.

If it’s a late game, I won’t have coffee in the morning so that I can take a nap, and then I have it in the afternoon to be ready for the game. I put creatine in it.

Do you have any good luck charms or superstitions?

I don’t. I just try to have a very seamless routine: Make sure I have my coffee and OLLY multivitamins at the right time. Make sure my outfit is ready before my 60-minute nap.

Do you play any music while you’re getting ready?

Absolutely. Right now, I’m listening to Steve Lacy’s new album, Oh, yeah? Sometimes if I find a song and I play well, I’ll keep listening to it. Maybe that is a little superstitious.

Which songs help you win?

“Doom” by Steve Lacy — I’ve had that on repeat. Justin Bieber’s Coachella set just came out online, so I’ve been listening to the live version of “Petting Zoo.”

How else do you get in the zone?

Having something that’s not on my phone distracts me a little bit so my mind is calm. If I get to the locker room early, I’ll just read. I try to write as much as I can.

What do you write?

Some days it’s just what I’m grateful for. Some days it’s writing out negative thoughts, crumpling up the paper, and throwing it away.

In the last few minutes before a game, what are you doing?

Your brain just goes a million miles an hour — at least mine does. If I’m on the bench, whatever the coaches do with the first play of the game, I’ll try to visualize that going perfectly, and then I’ll try to visualize my first stop. I don’t think beyond that. That helps me stay grounded. It puts me right into my flow.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.