Northwestern Professional Athletes

Northwestern sent two players to the WNBA Finals. Both have been indispensable. And now, with a championship on the line in a winner-take-all Game 7, Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes are the reason Golden State is still standing.

Game 5: A Historic Night in San Francisco

On Monday, Oct. 27, Burton and Stokes each scored 13 points to power the Valkyries past the Atlanta Dream, 64-55, putting Golden State one win from its first-ever WNBA title. Burton's line was extraordinary even by Finals standards — 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and four blocks — a performance that ClutchPoints reported made WNBA Finals history matched only by Diana Taurasi. That kind of defensive versatility combined with offensive contribution in a winner-take-all moment is the stuff of legacy-building.

Stokes, meanwhile, has been the embodiment of whatever-it-takes basketball. After a scoreless, zero-field-goal-attempt performance earlier in the series, she reasserted herself in Game 4 with eight offensive rebounds in a series-tying win, then brought that relentlessness back to Chase Center in Game 5. Neither player is a volume scorer by nature — which makes their twin 13-point efforts in a closeout spot all the more striking.

After the win, both Burton and Stokes took to social media to urge Valkyries fans to call in sick for Game 6 in Atlanta — a knowing wink at the unusual weekday start time and a signal of just how locked in this team's core is.

Game 6: Dream Pushes Back

The Dream didn't cooperate with a coronation. Atlanta shot 73.3 percent in the first quarter and raced out to a 32-15 lead, never relinquishing a double-digit advantage in an 80-69 win that forced Game 7. Burton finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals but was a minus-14 in a game Golden State never got its footing in.

The game wasn't without controversy. Valkyries fans cried foul over an apparent no-call involving Dream forward Naz Hillmon and Burton, and Burton was again at the center of a physical exchange with Atlanta's Rhyne Howard that drew widespread attention. Officiating has been a recurring flashpoint throughout the series.

"There needs to be a sense of urgency," Burton said afterward, per CBC Sports — a direct acknowledgment that Golden State cannot afford another slow start on the road.

What's at Stake in Game 7

The Valkyries are only in their second WNBA season. They've already made Chase Center a genuine home-court fortress and captured the Bay Area's imagination in ways few could have predicted. Now they travel back to Atlanta with everything on the line.

For Burton and Stokes, Game 7 represents the defining moment of their professional careers — and a chance to deliver Northwestern its first WNBA champion alumni. The Wildcats faithful have two very good reasons to clear their Sunday schedules.

Northwestern in the WNBA Finals

Veronica Burton didn't just show up for Game 4 of the WNBA Finals — she showed out when it mattered most.

The Northwestern alum delivered 13 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as the Golden State Valkyries edged the Atlanta Dream 67-62 on Saturday to even the series at 2-2. It was Burton at her most complete: the clutch late-game buckets that sparked Sportsnet highlights, the defensive instincts that have made her one of the most feared point guards in the league, and the steadying hand that kept Golden State's offense from unraveling against an Atlanta defense built to break exactly that.

The series itself has been a study in defensive brutality. Both the Dream and the Valkyries placed three players each on the All-Defense teams this season — six of the league's ten honorees. Rhyne Howard leads the league in steals for Atlanta; Burton and Golden State's Gabby Williams anchor the Valkyries' chaotic, switching defensive scheme. Defector described Game 1's 68-64 Golden State win as "cruciferous hoops" after the teams combined to shoot 46-of-142 from the field. This is not a series for the faint of heart or the shot-happy.

Burton's Game 4 showing was also a redemption moment. After Golden State's 79-65 Game 2 loss — in which the Valkyries committed a season-high 18 turnovers — Burton publicly took accountability alongside head coach Natalie Nakase. "It starts with me," she said. On Saturday, she backed that up.

With the series now tied heading into Game 5, Burton's ability to create offense, protect the ball, and guard the opponent's best initiator will be the thread Golden State's Finals hopes are hanging on. For Northwestern fans, it's appointment viewing.

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Northwestern's Defensive Duo Takes Center Stage

It's a Wildcat autumn in Oakland.

Two Northwestern alumnae — forward Gabby Williams and guard Veronica Burton — are headed to the WNBA Finals with the Golden State Valkyries, and the league took notice of exactly why before the series even tipped off.

The WNBA announced Thursday that Williams earned a spot on the 2026 All-Defensive First Team, while Burton claimed All-Defensive Second Team honors — a remarkable double recognition for a single program and a fitting capstone to what has been a dominant defensive postseason for Golden State.

Williams: The Anchor

For Williams, the All-Defensive First Team nod is no surprise — it's her second straight. The Northwestern product has been the engine of the Valkyries' elite defensive unit all season, and the Finals matchup promises her biggest test yet. Golden State faces the Atlanta Dream and their forward Angel Reese, the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, in the championship round. WNBA fans are already buzzing about the Williams-Reese showdown, with much of the chatter — blunt and confident — landing on Williams' side. The Golden State defense has been the league's best this season, and Williams has been its centerpiece.

Burton: More Than a Supporting Role

If Williams is the headliner, Burton is the reason opponents can't find an easy escape route. Her All-Defensive Second Team selection, alongside teammate Kiah Stokes, underscores that Golden State's defensive excellence runs three layers deep — and that Burton's Northwestern-forged instincts remain sharp at the professional level. Burton's profile got an unexpected boost off the court as well: Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry was spotted repping her Valkyries jersey ahead of the Finals, a moment that captured the Bay Area's full embrace of its WNBA franchise.

The Wildcat Thread

For Northwestern fans, this is a moment worth savoring. Two alumnae, both recognized among the league's best defenders, both competing for a championship in the same week the annual awards were handed out. The Wildcats don't always generate marquee WNBA headlines, but Williams and Burton are writing a notable chapter together.

The Valkyries' Finals run against the Dream tips off this week. If Golden State's defense holds — and if Williams and Burton perform the way they have all season — Evanston will have a championship to celebrate.