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Line 123: Although Williams was born and raised in the United States, her mother is French and she has extended family living in France, so she qualified for inclusion on the French national team.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Connolly \|first=Daniel \|date=2021-07-05 \|title=Former UConn star Gabby Williams named to French Olympic team \|url=https://www.theuconnblog.com/2021/7/5/22563818/former-uconn-huskies-womens-basketball-star-gabby-williams-named-to-france-olympic-basketball-team \|access-date=2021-08-08 \|website=The UConn Blog \|language=en}}</ref> Her Olympic experience was not her first experience with the French team, as she played for Les Bleues in the [[EuroBasket Women 2021\|2021 Eurobasket competition]], helping the team to win silver.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web \|title=Serbia proclaimed FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 champions after defeating France in Final \|url=http://www.fiba.basketball/womenseurobasket/2021/news/serbia-proclaimed-fiba-women-s-eurobasket-2021-champions-after-defeating-france-in-final \|access-date=2021-08-08 \|website=FIBA.basketball \|language=en}}</ref> Williams averaged 8.2 points per game in that competition.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Players statistics of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 \|url=http://www.fiba.basketball/womenseurobasket/2021/playerstats \|access-date=2021-08-08 \|website=FIBA.basketball \|language=en}}</ref> The decision to play for the Olympic team was not without cost. Many of the Olympic players, not just for the USA, but for several other teams, play ~~for~~in the WNBA, whose regular-season typically runs through the summer months. To accommodate the Olympics, the WNBA typically takes a month-long break in the season during Olympic years; however, Williams's commitments to the French national team interfered with her ability to show up at training camp for the [[Chicago Sky]]. She told ESPN's [[Michael Voepel]] that she thought she had reached an understanding with the team regarding her commitments, but the team disagreed, suspended her from the team and traded her to the [[Los Angeles Sparks]]. She was a member of the Sparks after the Olympics were over, but because she was suspended, she was ineligible to play during the season, so her decision to play for the French national team cost her an entire WNBA season.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2021-08-07 \|title=Gabby Williams 'Made the right choice' as France wins Olympic bronze \|url=https://justwomenssports.com/france-wins-olympic-bronze-in-womens-basketball/ \|access-date=2021-08-08 \|website=Just Women's Sports \|language=en-US}}</ref> In the opening game of the preliminary rounds, France faced Japan. France was ranked fifth in the world at the time while Japan was 10th,<ref>{{Cite web \|title=FIBA World Ranking Presented by NIKE, women \|url=http://www.fiba.basketball/rankingwomen \|access-date=2021-08-08 \|website=FIBA.basketball \|language=en}}</ref> but Japan was playing in their home country, and they upset France 74–70. Williams played 31 minutes, more than any other player on her team. France was allocated to group B, which also included the USA and Nigeria. While France could advance even with a loss to the USA, they would not advance to the knockout stage if they lost to Nigeria, so they found themselves in a must win situation in just their second game. France "righted the ship .. against Nigeria", winning 87–62.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web \|title=Gabby Williams Olympic Updates \|url=https://sparks.wnba.com/news/gabby-williams-olympic-updates/ \|access-date=2021-08-08 \|website=Los Angeles Sparks \|language=en}}</ref> Williams had 13 points and nine rebounds (tied for top on the team), just missing a double double. She also led the team in steals.<ref name=":1" />

Gabby Williams: Difference between revisions

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