WNBA fans vent their fury as Finals Game 6 gets underway in the middle of the day after Atlanta arena chaos
WNBA fans were still fuming on Thursday as the potential deciding game of the 2026 finals was tipped off at 12:30pm EST due to local arena scheduling issues.
That meant Golden State Valkyries fans were tuning in around 9:30am on the West Coast to see if their team could clinch a WNBA title with a Game 6 win over the Dream in Atlanta.
‘Why is there a WNBA FINALS game being played right now?!’ asked one incredulous fan on X. ‘It’s 1pm on a non holiday.
Another wrote that ‘having the WNBA FINALS in the middle of the afternoon is nasty work.’
The Dream were initially set to play their game against the Golden State Valkyries at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena in the suburbs of Atlanta, but due to overwhelming ticket demand, the larger State Farm Arena was enlisted to hold the larger crowd.
But with the building’s main tenants, the Atlanta Hawks, set to host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8pm on Thursday, Game 6 of the WNBA Finals was pushed to 12:30pm local time. Despite this, the Dream and Valkyries still sold out State Farm Arena on Thursday with celebrities in the crowd, such as Grammy winner Usher and comedian Wanda Sykes.
Naz Hillmon #00 of the Atlanta Dream celebrates during the game against the Valkyries
Usher was among the sellout crowd in Atlanta for the matinee Finals game at State Farm Arena
Wanda Sykes attends Game 6 of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Valkyries and the Dream
Meanwhile, back at the Valkyries’ home gym in San Francisco, fans packed the arena’s surrounding food courts for some breakfast and basketball.
Still, online, other fans remained bothered by the early tip-off.
‘The fact that this WNBA Finals Game 6 is on at noon should be a crime,’ one critic wrote on X.
‘WNBA finals being played at this time is diabolical,’ another added.
Despite the early tip-off, the Valkyries entered the game feeling ready.
‘We prepared for this,’ Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said before Thursday’s game. ‘We knew when they announced it. We’re good.’
The Valkyries’ strong finish in the series came after Nakase tweaked her lineup for a 67-62 Game 4 win. Nakase added Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles into the lineup and had Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini come off the bench. The new starting five produced a 64-55 win in Game 5.
Valkyries fan Cynthia Cheak cheers over breakfast at Splash restaurant at Chase Center’s Thrive City plaza, Thursday. The watch part was well attended despite the early tip-off
Fans attend the Golden State Valkyries’ watch party at Chase Center’s Thrive City plaza
Sika Lopez and her daughter Kendra, 11, missed work and school as they attend the Golden State Valkyries’ watch party at Chase Center’s Thrive City plaza on Thursday morning
Joshua Padilla and daughters Malia, 10, and Mariah, 15, came from Santa Clara to attend the Golden State Valkyries’ watch party on Thursday morning in San Francisco
Hayes played 10 seasons for Atlanta and came out of retirement two years ago.
Nakase said before Thursday’s game, ‘we just needed something different, really,’ and added ‘I’m just going with my gut.’
Nakase praised her players for accepting the changes with ‘zero tension… no ego. They were amazing.’
Dream coach Karl Smesko is looking to regain the offensive momentum the team displayed in winning two of the first three games of the series.
Smesko has complained about inconsistent officiating in the series.
‘It’s hard to plan because you don’t know on which day if it’s going to be tight or if they’re going to let as much contact as has been going on the last couple games,’ Smesko said Wednesday. ‘You just hope that it’s called the same way that it’s supposed to be called all year.’
The Dream need a win to force a Game 7 on Saturday night in California.
