Full Court Leader: Elizabeth Williams Setting an Example On and Off the Court
Elizabeth Williams proved in 2024 that you don’t need to be on the court to be a team’s leader. After her season-ending injury last June, Angel Reese said, “Her leadership is something we can’t replace,” while Kamilla Cardoso echoed that sentiment, saying the only appropriate response was “trying to be the leader that ‘E’ [Williams] is.” Whether she was supporting her team from the bench or showing up to practice ready for a workout her repaired meniscus wouldn’t yet allow, Williams remained an invaluable resource for Chicago’s young roster.
Fast forward to 2025, and Williams—the lone holdover from the Sky’s last playoff appearance in 2023—is back in uniform but just as influential, whether on the floor or offering guidance from the bench.
But Williams isn’t just a guiding presence in Chicago; she’s also helping shape the future of the league. As secretary of the WNBPA, she’s emerged as one of the union’s key leadership figures, with her role poised to take on even greater significance as players prepare for a landscape-altering renegotiation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
As part of a coordinated campaign by several of the WNBA’s key faces on June 22, Williams called the upcoming negotiations—which are expected to continue through All-Star Weekend in Indiana—a “defining moment” for the league. She emphasized that players were fighting for a CBA that “reflects our true value” and for “a fair share of the business that we built.”
The players not only have a strong case for improved terms but also a wealth of leaders willing to speak out. Williams’ role at the forefront of this movement highlights both her intelligence and, more importantly, the trust she’s earned from her peers—qualities that ground her leadership in Chicago and across the league.
Still, her impact in the WNBA extends beyond off-court leadership, and she’s returned to the high level of two-way play that earned her All-Defense honors as recently as 2023. Even while balancing those off-court responsibilities and rehabbing from a serious injury, Williams’ per-minute production—adjusted for reduced playing time as the Sky develop Cardoso and Reese—matches her impressive 2023 form and isn’t far off her All-Star campaign with the Atlanta Dream in 2017.
In other words, Elizabeth Williams hasn’t just recovered from injury—she’s regained her previous level of play, a feat far from guaranteed after a significant knee surgery, especially for players over 30. While advanced metrics like defensive rating don’t capture her contributions as clearly as they once did—partly due to the variable, often bench-heavy lineups she’s part of—the game tape reveals her ongoing value for Chicago as a lurking rim protector and reliable help defender from the weak side.
Her bread and butter is protecting the rim, whether on the ball or providing support for a teammate. But the plays where she helps from the weak side—completely disrupting the offense’s flow—offer just as much value, even if they don’t end in a block. The key to all her defensive impact? Conviction.
The fifth play above, where Williams comes diagonally across the floor to help Michaela Onyenwere against Jonquel Jones, perfectly illustrates how crucial it is for a defender to fully commit when providing help. Too often, younger or less confident defenders hedge their bets—sliding toward a double team while still staying close enough to guard their original matchup. This frequently results in a weak or non-existent double team that leaves the helper’s assignment open enough to get a shot off if the ball comes their way. By going all in to help Onyenwere against Jones, Williams leaves Kennedy Burke—a career 35.7 percent three-point shooter—wide open, but her commitment to the double prevents the play from progressing that far. Of course, this decision demands discernment, as Jones could have recycled the play to the perimeter, but Williams is smart enough to read that Onyenwere has effectively guided Jones toward the baseline, limiting her options and forcing her to turn right into the space where Williams sets up the double.
The last play, from the season-opening loss to Indiana, showcases all of Williams’ defensive skills in one sequence. She first shows that same conviction in committing to help Kia Nurse against a mismatch with Fever forward Natasha Howard. Howard recognizes—perhaps with a little help from DeWanna Bonner in the top right of the frame—that the incoming double has left Damiris Dantas open. Level-headed as ever, Elizabeth Williams, noting her favorable position in the passing lane, springs straight up to deflect the pass intended for the cutting Dantas. And even when the deflection, unluckily, falls into Dantas’ hands, Williams has the balance and recovery ability to make a trademark block.
As these plays illustrate, Elizabeth Williams provides Reese and Cardoso with a live blueprint for the defensive habits the Sky must develop to move from promising to polished. While the roster is full of talented individual defenders, it’s the lack of cohesion—and, crucially, conviction—that leads to repeated breakdowns, both at the rim and along the perimeter.
Each of these plays underlines what’s clear watching Chicago night after night: Reese and Cardoso are strong defenders in a vacuum, but their habits and consistency still need significant improvement to match a standout defender like Williams. Whether it’s a simple communication breakdown leading to an open three or an absence of effort from the low man on a drive, the Sky as a collective have often struggled to sustain cohesive defensive effort for more than a few possessions—let alone entire quarters or games.
The final play in the clip perfectly highlights Williams’ value. Even when Reese gets caught in the non-committal no-man’s land between stopping Natasha Cloud’s drive and denying Breanna Stewart a touch on the roll—something Ariel Atkins is already aiming to do—Williams arrives from the weak side to deliver an emphatic rejection. In the short term, they can benefit from these on-court contributions, but they’ll hope that watching and working alongside Williams helps Cardoso and Reese develop similar habits for the long term.
Indeed, practicing with, competing against, and receiving feedback from veterans is a crucial—though often underappreciated—part of player development. Williams appears fully invested in helping these two young standouts reach their potential. Last November, she said, “I’m not going to be here [in Chicago]forever, but I really want this organization to grow and be a top contender.” In the same press conference, she emphasized that Reese and Cardoso—now viewed as franchise cornerstones—would be central to that evolution because of their “high” growth potential.
To their credit, the Sky’s young frontcourt has made it clear they intend to learn not just from Williams’ leadership but also from her work ethic and style of play. In 2024, Cardoso said one of her goals was to “try to play as hard as she [Williams] plays.” Reese, speaking to the Chicago Tribune last May, pointed to Williams’ craft: “They may not give her all the props she deserves, but she’s super smart. She… does things that I’m like, that foul on Jonquel [a charge that Reese drew], that’s something that ‘E’ would do. So, just picking up on small things like that.”
Reese’s example is telling—it shows how much of Williams’ craft is being absorbed by younger teammates, not just through instruction but also observation. While watching her defense is a great start, Williams has also been a valuable offensive contributor off the bench this season. Though she’s playing a very different role than in 2023—when she co-starred alongside Courtney Williams in a pick-and-roll-heavy system—she’s found ways to score across a variety of game situations. Still a technically gifted and adaptable post scorer, Williams is putting up numbers that compare favorably with those she’s recorded throughout her career.
Indeed, Williams is a highly talented offensive player—even if she’s far from being one of the league’s most heavily used options. In her last full season (2023), she averaged just shy of double figures with 9.8 points per game—a mark only 45 WNBA players reached despite ranking 109th in usage (15.8 percent). The two aren’t directly correlated, of course, but the underlying message is clear: Williams can be a productive offensive piece without being the focal point.
The reason for her effectiveness is twofold. First, Elizabeth Williams can score in a variety of ways. The clips above showcase a player with plenty of traditional post moves—hook, fadeaway, drop step—along with the IQ, movement, and willingness needed to be an effective cutter off the ball. Add in the range of scoring touches she displays in the pick-and-roll—still part of the Sky’s offense, albeit in a more limited role than two seasons ago—and it’s clear that Williams’ offensive game offers plenty of variety.
The second—and perhaps more important—reason ties back to her defensive success. Whether you call it conviction or decisiveness, Williams always seems to know exactly what she wants to do when she gets the ball. Don’t mistake that decisive approach for a hurried one; she’s actually a patient and methodical player in the post. Her moves appear calculated, avoiding impulsive decisions that often lead to forced shots or turnovers. As the Sky’s young frontcourt continues to mature, this is a key lesson for them to learn. These “freestyle” sequences rarely produce positive results for the offense, and Williams offers a perfect example of how a purposeful post game can consistently keep the defense honest.
That level of discipline and attention to detail has long been a hallmark of her game—but as Elizabeth Williams herself hinted with that “forever” quote, the time to pass those lessons on to the young core may be limited. Granted, that comment was likely more an acknowledgment of her basketball mortality than a free agency statement, but her strong play this season suggests the veteran—who’s embraced a more limited role without hesitation—could have her pick of teams as a luxury bench big next winter.
And yet, few players on this roster—aside from the returning Courtney Vandersloot—feel more deserving of walking into Chicago’s long-awaited new Bedford Park facility than Williams. She has been a steady on-court presence and a vocal champion for her fellow players off it.
Regardless, Williams’ impact over the past two seasons may not be immortal, but thanks to Reese and Cardoso, it will outlast her tenure in Chicago—and likely the WNBA. As the Sky aim to shift momentum in the back half of 2025, what Elizabeth Williams brings on the court will matter. But it’s the tone she’s helped set in the locker room—and the habits she’s shaping in the franchise’s frontcourt core—that will pay dividends in 2026 and beyond.
All stats as of June 26th. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Basketball Reference and WNBA.com.
The post Full Court Leader: Elizabeth Williams Setting an Example On and Off the Court appeared first on Winsidr.
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