She scored seven points, had 10 rebounds and two blocks and probably was the most important player in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
That wasn’t Gabby Williams, who did score 16 points in the second quarter alone to keep the Valkyries in the game. But Kaila Charles, who played 30 minutes off the bench and led the team in rebounding, was lauded by the Valkyries throughout the postgame of the 68-64 win over Atlanta.
“Kiah (Stokes) and Kai made game-winning plays tonight,” Williams said. “When our shots aren’t falling, those are the plays that are going to win these kinds of games.”
One of Golden State’s advantages all postseason has been its bench depth, which was highlighted even more on Saturday because Atlanta played just a seven-player rotation even with Allisha Gray banged up.
The Valkyries got bench contributions from Tiffany Hayes (three points, six rebounds), Kaitlyn Chen (five points) and Laeticia Amihere, who might have been the key to shutting down Angel Reese in the second half.
“At the end of the day, that’s what we are all year,” Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said. “Be ready for when your name is called. LA was phenomenal. This matchup is really good for her and she knows what she brings to the table. I’m really proud of her for staying ready.”
But the 28-year-old Charles, who has averaged 6.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the postseason, might be the real reason the Valkyries kept home court advantage with the Game 1 win. Her energy off the bench as a defender and ability to hit a few shots was essential.
“Her engine was on full throttle tonight,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said of Charles. “Her fight was unmatched tonight. She was exactly what we needed.”
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Charles has had moments like this before. In Game 2 of the first round in Dallas, Charles scored five points in a burst at the end of the third quarter that helped keep Golden State in it before losing in overtime. Against the Aces, she was an important rebounder.
In the second quarter on Saturday, when the Valkyries went ahead briefly by the half, Charles hit an important 3-pointer in the corner while the second unit orchestrated one of the better stretches of the game. Later, she came up with a key steal on Rhyne Howard that was arguably the game-winning play.
“She’d emptied the tank the minute she stepped on that floor,” Nakase said. “You could feel her. And you could feel when I took her out we were missing that … Kai was, like, our pure remedy tonight.”
Once waived by Dallas last season, the Valkyries signed Charles initially to a series of hardship deals while they had several late-season injuries in 2025. Eventually, they kept her for the entire season on a rest-of-contract deal and then signed her to a two-year, guaranteed contract ahead of the 2026 season.
She finished the season third on the team in rebounding, behind Stokes and Kayla Thornton, despite playing fewer minutes per game than some other bench players. She is also a 6-foot-1 guard, but has made crashing the boards a priority in addition to her defense.
“When she comes in, you can see that she lays it out every single time,” Nakase said. “She’s a huge piece to us, and I think sometimes when you go through really tough moments, like being waived or being cut or being doubted, that just builds a different identity in her. And we’ve been really leaning on her in moments when she comes in. She changes the game completely.”
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She has played at least 17 minutes in every playoff game, more than any other bench player in the postseason and has averaged over 21, one of just five players to do so.
With starting forward Kayla Thornton limited to seven minutes in which the Valkyries were outscored by 15 points, they did pick up a 13-point advantage when Charles was on the floor.
The Dream might not have the depth to answer for someone like Charles, even when Thornton or Cecilia Zandalasini or Janelle Salaun have an off night.
“Nothing phases Kai, not a thing,” Nakase said. “Her resilience through all the waves, through the cuts, through possibly doubting herself. I mean, that has built a resistance and a resilience inside of her, and a really strong heart that we follow.”
