Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams explains how she gets her endurance from tattoos: "Pain tolerance is definitely a little different"

Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams revealed an unorthodox method to build tolerance towards pain during an interview with Women's Health Magazine on Tuesday. The Frenchman, who dons a plethora of tattoos, explained how the inking process has helped her build endurance.

The Storm forward spoke of her love for tattoos, explaining how she first got inked at age 12. Williams expressed how it helped raise her endurance and how she prefers the pain of the needle over "basketball pain."

"I think my pain tolerance is definitely a little different," she said. "For me, waking up, feeling stiff, my body's hurting—I'd rather take a tattoo than basketball pain any day."

The two-time Olympic medalist also spoke about her methodology in getting tattoos, explaining there wasn't any. Much like her unpredictability on the court, her tattoos served as an extension of herself and had no underlying reasons.

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"I know I've always been a player that people couldn't really put into a box," she said. "They're (her tattoos) kind of all over the place. There's no rhyme or reason to it—but it's me."

Williams' tattoos showcase a variety of designs, including anime characters, meaningful quotes and a sleeve featuring an angel, floral patterns and sculptural embellishments. She also has pieces dedicated to rock and roll, which include an outline of Freddie Mercury’s face Rolling Stones logo, an AC/DC lightning bolt and Prince’s symbol.

The Storm star is a leading force alongside Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike. The franchise continues to hunt for its first title since 2020.

Gabby Williams jokes with the Seattle crowd after Storm defeats reigning champions

Gabby Williams had a fun moment with the Seattle crowd on Sunday, after defeating the New York Liberty, 89-79. It was their third victory in a row. Fans were loud at the Climate Pledge Arena and it got only louder with Williams on the mic.

Continuously interrupted during the post-game interview, Williams seemed content with the support and decided to join in on the fun.

"Y'all can be loud, it's okay I don't even talk," she said.

Standing silently for a few seconds, the Frenchman waited for the crowd to die down before jokingly responding:

"Okay, I'mma talk now."

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This showed the love Seattle fans have for Williams after her double-double performance with 12 points and 10 assists.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by Krutik Jain