Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton celebrates, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
In just the franchise’s second year of existence, the Golden State Valkyries captured the WNBA title on Saturday night in San Francisco after a hard-fought, back-and-forth 68-63 victory against the Atlanta Dream in Game 7. It was the first seven-game series in WNBA Finals history.
Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton left her mark on the game from beginning to end. She hit a step-back mid-range jumper just before the shot clock expired to open the scoring, and she buried two clutch free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining to extend Golden State’s lead to five. They would be the last points of the contest.
Burton finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a block in the winner-take-all Game 7. She also led her team with 39 minutes played as her team overcame a six-point halftime deficit.
The 5-foot-9 point guard anchored Golden State throughout their 13-game postseason run. She led the team in assists per game (3.8), tied for second in rebounds (4.9), and was third in points (9.2).
“Hands down, I think she’s the best point guard right now in the league,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told The Athletic last week. “… It’s that grittiness. It’s that leadership. It is that toughness. It’s diving on the floor, getting knocked down, getting back up.”
Burton is a leader and defensive stopper on her team, and in many ways the heart and soul of it. And now, she’s carried Golden State to a title. It’s a story no one would have thought possible just a few years ago, perhaps not even her.
Burton’s WNBA career began with promise, as the Massachusetts native was drafted No. 7 overall by the Dallas Wings in 2022 after a decorated college career at Northwestern. Yet after two seasons of limited playing time and limited success in Dallas, the Wings waived her in May 2024. She eventually signed with the Connecticut Sun for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, yet again didn’t see the floor much.
Burton’s breakthrough came when Golden State picked her from Connecticut’s roster in the December 2024 expansion draft and she instantly became a critical piece of the new team. She started all 44 games in 2025 and thrived in that role, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.4 minutes of game action. Golden State became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its first year, and Burton was named the league’s Most Improved Player. She was also named to the All-Defensive second team.
Burton was again named to the All-Defensive second team in 2026 and guided the Valkyries back to the playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed with a 32-12 regular-season record. She averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals.
Throughout her rise to the top of the WNBA, Burton has consistently given glory to God, both on social media and in interviews. She was found reading the Book of James after being waived by Dallas, and in a 2023 appearance on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, she explained why it’s so important to her to thank God.
“The one thing that I try and thank Him for every day is just the opportunities that He’s presented for me,” she said. “I’ve been able to experience a lot of great things, and things have worked out in my favor, and a lot of that has to do with Him and the grace that He has for me.”
Although Burton grew up in a family that emphasized faith, it was at Northwestern that God truly began to work in her heart to draw her to Himself.
“I realized that the more I centered my life around faith and my relationship with the Lord, the more steady I found myself and the more at peace I found myself,” she said on the podcast. “That’s where I saw a shift in who I was and what I really prioritized.”
“My faith is the most important thing to me,” the 26-year-old said. “Just wrapping my identity around who Christ says I am rather than a sport, a career.”
In a video later in the series, Burton shared why her daily practice of doing devotionals and spending time in God’s Word is so important.
“I wanted to know Him for myself and I wanted to have a genuine relationship for myself,” she said, “because I believe that’s the best part about Christianity is having a relationship.”
Burton praised God amid the depths of doubt and uncertainty after she was waived two years ago. Now, at last, she can praise Him as a WNBA champion.
San Antonio Spurs center Tarris Reed Jr. (10), Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
It’s been quite the week for Tarris Reed Jr.
Last Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs rookie center fulfilled a lifelong dream when he made his NBA debut in a 116-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, logging one minute of game action. He received a DNP on Friday, but on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks, he played seven minutes, grabbed three rebounds and scored the first two points of his career as his team won, 122-106.
However, basketball milestones weren’t the only things on Reed’s plate. The morning following his first bucket, the 23-year-old underwent the sacrament of baptism at Community Bible Church in San Antonio. Reed shared the joyous news with the world by posting a video on Instagram.
“It’s been on my heart for a while now to be baptized,” Reed captioned his post in part. “I wanted to publicly signify my union with Christ and what it means to walk in His grace, mercy, and NEWNESS OF LIFE!
“The Lord has placed me in a unique position to help others come to know Christ and experience His life changing power. To think that I went from wanting nothing to do with the Lord to now desiring to live for Him is something I never could have imagined. I never would have thought my life would look like this.
“I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy, and for placing me in a position where I can share the Gospel, reach others, and hopefully make an eternal impact on their lives. All glory to God!”
He frequently praises God in posts on Instagram, where he writes “Through Christ alone” in his bio. One such post came in the aftermath of losing the college basketball national championship game to Michigan as a member of the UConn Huskies last April. On the flight back to Storrs, Connecticut, Reed was inspired to speak at an Athletes in Action campus ministry meeting less than 24 hours after the final buzzer sounded in Indianapolis.
And not only did Reed speak about the pain of losing the title game, he also shared his testimony of faith in Jesus. It began as many do. He was introduced to Christ at a young age and frequently attended church, yet he lacked a deep personal relationship with Jesus. His passion was basketball, not the glory of God.
The St. Louis native drifted from the faith as a freshman at Michigan in 2022-23, the very same program that would defeat him on the biggest stage three years later. But a convicting conversation with his strength and conditioning coach led him to truly and intentionally begin reading the Bible, starting with the Book of Matthew.
“It was my first time really learning about Jesus — who He was, how He walked, how He taught, who He helped,” Reed said in his speech. “… From there, that fire was lit. I started to understand who Jesus was and really build a relationship. It put everything into perspective — not making basketball an idol, but seeing it as worship.”
Reed also played the 2023-24 season at Michigan before transferring to UConn, where he blossomed, winning Big East Sixth Man of the Year in 2025 and being named first-team All-Big East in 2026. He was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets and immediately traded to the Spurs.
Reed has continued to testify to his faith in Christ on social media and elsewhere during his short time in the NBA, a practice he began while still in college. Amid the pain and disappointment of losing the national championship game, Reed praised the Lord during his postgame press conference.
“I’m filled with gratitude just looking around, just so thankful for it all,” he said on the podcast. “It’s crazy how I’m at my last year, going into my last semester, and now I’m realizing, ‘Wow, look at the Lord. Look what the Lord has blessed me with.’ I wish I could have known this in my freshman year. … Be grateful for it, man, because this is it for me.”
Later in the podcast, he talked about being born again in Christ.
“Jesus just wiped my eyes clean,” he said. “I got to see the world through a whole new lens. That’s really where my journey began. That’s where the seed — my whole life — just grew and it started to blossom from there.”
Reed is now baptized, playing with gratitude for who Jesus is, and worshiping Him with his basketball abilities. Secure in his union with Christ, Reed will continue to try to carve out minutes for himself and help the Spurs in their quest to return to the NBA Finals.
Next up, San Antonio hosts the Sacramento Kings (0-3) on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
