Storm's Gabby Williams happy to return, but rips prioritization rule - ESPN

Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams said that while she managed to rejoin the WNBA midseason this year despite prioritization restrictions, she does not have confidence she'll be able to play both in the WNBA and overseas in future seasons.

«I still think the prioritization thing is ridiculous. I'm sorry, I'll say it. Like literally, I'm only here because I got concussed,» Williams told reporters Wednesday in her first appearance since returning to the Storm. «Something has to give. France needs to have shorter seasons, or the WNBA needs to [allow players] to make money and do both. And no, this doesn't give me any hope that I can do both.»

Williams, a two-time national champion at UConn and a 2018 WNBA draft lottery pick, said she considered appearing in the WNBA in 2023 «out of question» as she competed overseas with her French club ASVEL. The French league playoffs would not end until after the WNBA's regular-season start date, and ASVEL was strongly favored to advance to the finals.

Under the WNBA's new prioritization rules, which are part of its 2020 CBA, Williams — a restricted free agent at the time — needed to complete any offseason play before the WNBA's opening day, or else she would be considered ineligible. A large swath of WNBA players compete overseas during the league's offseason to supplement their incomes and keep their games at a high level.

A longtime member of the French senior national team, Williams was also planning to play in the EuroBasket tournament in June with Les Bleues; national team obligations, however, are exceptions to the WNBA's prioritization restrictions.

Williams would not have been able to appear in the WNBA this season had it not been for a concussion she suffered during the