Gabby Williams Suspended for WNBA Season | The Boneyard

Gabby Williams Suspended for WNBA Season

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"Williams? Gabby Williams? Does anyone know where Gabby Williams is?"
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"My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy, who knows this kid, who's going with a girl that saw Gabby pass out at 31 Flavors last night."
 
This may well be a salary cap issue, Chicago is at the top of the cap with Gabby, her absence helps the team in that regard.
 
The thread title is a bit misleading - makes it sound like she did something wrong...

Gabby Williams article

Below are some snips from the article. Looks like Gabby has been pretty open about wanting to play for the French National Team, and both the Sky and the FNT had been in touch regarding Gabby's desires and how it was to proceed.

Coach James Wade said the French Federation called him ahead of the draft and said it wanted Williams to join the national team. Williams was set to miss much of the 2021 season because of those commitments.

Last month, the French national team announced that Williams would be part of the preliminary roster to compete in Women’s EuroBasket 2021.

“[Playing for the French national team] is something Gabby has wanted to do, and we’re supportive of her,” coach James Wade said on draft night.
 
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MooseJaw said:
This may well be a salary cap issue, Chicago is at the top of the cap with Gabby, her absence helps the team in that regard.
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Gabby is still on her rookie deal so her contract is still cheap.

The issue is that she wasn't likely to play until after the Olympics. Suspending her contract frees up the roster spot.
 
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Just curious, can anyone suggest a ballpark figure on how much Gabby is making this season overseas? Since she still playing on her rookie deal with the Sky, I would imagine it's quite a bit more than her Sky salary. I know the leagues overseas pay a lot more than the W. I really don't follow those leagues. I believe someone mentioned here that Gabby has become fluent in French, which would make sense-since she's been over there for a period of time. Thanks.
 
Kaizen said:
Gabby Williams : Both American and French nationality.

en.wikipedia.org

Gabby Williams - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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I see where Wiki lists Gabby as both American and French Nationality, but did not see how she had French Nationality available. With Lou her Mum is from England. Does the same apply to Gabby? Or does one season playing in France qualify her for dual Nationality?
 
Carnac said:
Just curious, can anyone suggest a ballpark figure on how much Gabby is making this season overseas? Since she still playing on her rookie deal with the Sky, I would imagine it's quite a bit more than her Sky salary. I know the leagues overseas pay a lot more than the W. I really don't follow those leagues. Thanks.
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Chicago Sky
Player (20)Pos.Avg. Salary
Gabby WilliamsF$58,045
Shyla HealG$70,389
Ruthy HebardF$68,339
Natasha MackF$64,457
In France,

What went into your decision to play overseas in the first place?​

Honestly, it’s the money. I hate to say it, but financially, if I have to choose, it’s a no brainer. I play overseas. I read a recent Breanna Stewart interview where they asked her why she was going to Russia to play, and she said the real question is, “Why would I come back to the WNBA? I get $900,000 from the Russian team I play for.

justwomenssports.com

Gabby Williams Discusses Life Under Lockdown in France - Just Women's Sports

Gabby Williams is an American-French basketball player who plays for both the Chicago Sky of the WNBA and the Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomération club in France, whose season was recently suspended due to the coronavirus. Williams, who remains in France under a government-mandated lockdown...
justwomenssports.com justwomenssports.com
 
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Kaizen said:
Chicago Sky
Player (20)Pos.Avg. Salary
Gabby WilliamsF$58,045
Shyla HealG$70,389
Ruthy HebardF$68,339
Natasha MackF$64,457
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Thanks Kaizen, you da man!! :) Any idea what her overseas salary is? :rolleyes:
 
ochoopsfan said:
I see where Wiki lists Gabby as both American and French Nationality, but did not see how she had French Nationality available. With Lou her Mum is from England. Does the same apply to Gabby? Or does one season playing in France qualify her for dual Nationality?
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I think one of her parent is French.

"I am a French-American dual citizen, so I have some family in Paris, but most of my family is back in the US. I chose to play in Europe because having a European passport makes me more valuable. Each team is allowed two Americans, but with a European passport, a team can have an extra American."
 
Last edited:
Fairfield Fan said:
Did she take French citizenship when she became a pro in order to facilitate her ability to play in Europe? Or is she a French citizen by birth? Anyone know?
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Her mom is French:

www.independentsportsnews.com

UConn's Gabby Williams changes approach, finds touch after rocky start - ISN

David Butler II | USA Today Sports Images Williams is averaging 8.8 points per game. STORRS, Conn. — When it came to Connecticut’s long-standing policy of not allowing their players’ tattoos to be visible during games, a band-aid was just not going to do the trick for the artwork on the left...
www.independentsportsnews.com www.independentsportsnews.com

“My sister and I got matching tattoos saying ‘nothing will break our bond’ in French,” Williams said. “My mom is French, and the rose, she has roses tattooed on her body.”
 
Kaizen said:
Not sure the exact number but heard it is between $300 -500K. Sky's $58K is a joke.
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I believe Gabby's WNBA salary is actually $70,040. That's what Her Hoop Stats has and they generally have the best update WNBA salary info: Chicago Sky WNBA Salary Cap Sheet

But yeah, probably significantly less than what she made playing for Sopron.

I don't think this is about Gabby sitting out over money, though. The rumor I heard was that she was talking with the team about whether she would join the team after the Olympics or not. Then came the draft night news that the Sky were shopping her on the trade market, which soured the relationship.

Ultimately, I think the Sky were reluctant to carry a player that would miss a large chunk of the season. Also, she is set to become a free agent after the offseason and the Sky probably don't have money to resign her. Vandersloot, Quigley, DeShields and Copper are all hitting free agency after this year and are all bigger priorities than Gabby. And they probably don't have money to sign all four of that group anyway.

Sadly, the Sky don't really have incentive to keep Gabby happy because they know that they are losing her at the end of the season.

The big beneficiary of all of this is probably Lexie Brown who now has a clear path to a backup wing spot with Gabby out of the picture. Natasha Mack and Brittany Boyd are also in the picture for the final Sky roster spot.
 
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Orangutan said:
Sadly, the Sky don't really have incentive to keep Gabby happy because they know that they are losing her at the end of the season.
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If true, there is no benefit to the Sky to continue the relationship with her. Do they think she will do a sign and trade next off season? Why would any team make a trade when they can sign her as FA next season?

By suspending her it just looks petty, unfortunately with so few roster spots available in the entire league, it probably won't negatively impact the willingness of players to join their team in the future but it could impact some fans opinions of the team and the league.
 
maccca3232 said:
If true, there is no benefit to the Sky to continue the relationship with her. Do they think she will do a sign and trade next off season? Why would any team make a trade when they can sign her as FA next season?

By suspending her it just looks petty, unfortunately with so few roster spots available in the entire league, it probably won't negatively impact the willingness of players to join their team in the future but it could impact some fans opinions of the team and the league.
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She was going to be a restricted free agent next year.

I don't know exactly how the suspension affects things. I read that she will be "reserved" after the suspension, which means Chicago will have exclusive negotiating rights, but I haven't seen that confirmed.

Either way, they should be able to sign and trade her next off-season.
 
Gus Mahler said:
Gabby's mother is from France.
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In some countries in Europe if you are a talented athlete if you have less than one percent of their countries nationality roots they will make you a citizen.
 
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