Gabby Williams Grew up a 'Huge Fan' of Now

With an impressive overseas campaign under her belt and a new endorsement deal in her back pocket, Chicago Sky forward Gabby Williams could very well be headed for a breakout WNBA season in 2021.

And having yet another superstar teammate by her side probably won't hurt, either.

Candace Parker joined the Sky at the start of free agency, leaving the Los Angeles Sparks after 13 years in purple and gold. Williams — who is entering her fourth season in the WNBA — is undoubtedly excited to compete alongside the five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time league MVP, especially because she grew up watching Parker's career unfold.

"I've been a huge fan of Candace since I was little," Williams told Insider while discussing the #ShowSomeMuscle campaign that sprouted from her partnership with Ford. "And then getting to know her and realizing she's also an incredible person, and now she's going to be my teammate. It's really cool."

Williams landed in Chicago in 2018 after a standout career for the Connecticut Huskies. With the likes of Breanna Stewart, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Diamond DeShields among those she's played next to at the college and WNBA levels, Williams is no stranger to sharing the court with superstars. But the 5-foot-11 forward recognizes that Parker — a Chicago native — brings something special to the table.

"Her championship experience and mentality is exactly what we need in Chicago," Williams said.

The 24-year-old is becoming a star in her own right these days. She's averaging 16.5 points per game during her 2020-2021 season starting for Hungarian club Sopron and feels that she's reaching a new level of play on the hardwood.

"I've made some growth last season and especially overseas," Williams said. "I'm really starting to find the kind of player I want to be. They're playing me only on the two and three here, so I've really gotten a chance to focus on being at the wing and getting better because that's ultimately what I want to do."

"So hopefully, I can just bring what I've been doing overseas into Chicago," she added.

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And she's beginning to embrace her impact off the court as well. She recently partnered with Ford to kick off the brand's #ShowSomeMuscle campaign, which provided a platform for women to showcase their strength and resilience while redefining the "preconceived notions of what a muscle car can be."

"It's really cool that Ford — such a well-known company — is giving this opportunity for women to just talk about how dope we are because we do amazing things every day despite the circumstances that we're in," Williams said. "I'm really just proud of Ford for putting this together because they don't have to do things like this."

"What they're doing is going to make a huge difference," she added. "And hopefully other companies see it as well, and we keep seeing female role models put into the spotlight."

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She was also at the forefront of the WNBA's social and racial justice efforts last summer. Throughout the season, players wore Breonna Taylor's name on the back of their jerseys while championing various social justice initiatives. They spoke with former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer. They demanded justice for the late Louisville EMT, honored Sandra Bland, and raised awareness for other Black women like them through a partnership with the "Say Her Name" campaign.

And after protests erupted around the country in light of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the players forced the league to postpone a slate of games to "stand in solidarity with our brothers in the NBA" against police brutality. WNBA stars across the league also joined forces to endorse Reverend Raphael Warnock. He opposed Kelly Loeffler in her Georgia Senate race, despite Loeffler's ownership stake in one of the league's teams. The players helped Warnock oust Loeffler from her Senate seat and her ownership position with the Atlanta Dream.

And Williams says there's much more to come.

"The summer was the beginning of us showing just who we genuinely are as athletes and as people," she said. "And we showed the world that you can't separate those two anymore. You have to support us as human beings too if you're going to ask us to basically perform."

"That's something that hopefully is instilled in the WBA forever now," Williams added. "This was a year where we set that precedent, and I don't see it changing anytime soon."

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