The WNBA scheduled its eventual championship-clinching game for 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, the league announced, settling a logistical nightmare that appeared to have few satisfactory solutions.
The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream Game 6 had always been scheduled for Thursday night in Georgia, with the exact location and time of the tipoff listed as TBD due to a series of scheduling conflicts.
The Dream’s playoff home, State Farm Arena, is hosting an Atlanta Hawks game Thursday night.
“We thank the NBA, Dream, Valkyries, Hawks, State Farm Arena and USA Network for the collaboration and flexibility that made this decision possible,” outgoing WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement Monday afternoon.
The Dream played most of its 2026 season at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena in College Park, the league’s smallest building. But the team had been able to move major regular-season games and all playoff contests to State Farm Arena, the 17,000-seat stadium of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
But with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday, the same day as a 7 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers-Hawks game at State Farm, that big venue wasn’t available for a prime-time women’s game.
If the Valkyries win Monday’s Game 5 in San Francisco, that means their West Coast fans will have to get in front of a TV before 9:30 a.m. PT on Thursday and possibly pop champagne bottles before noon if Golden State finishes the game in Atlanta.
In the WNBA’s prepared statement, Engelbert did not address the odd start time, but focused on the fact that the league would be playing in front of larger crowds.
“The sold-out crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 were a huge success and we are excited to give thousands of additional fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line,” Engelbert said.
The WNBA, arena, broadcasters and teams had to make adjustments just to get Games 3 and 4 played at State Farm.
Game 3 was moved up a day to October 21, rescheduled from October 22, when State Farm hosted a Sombr concert.
Game 4 was moved to an hour earlier Saturday, from 1:00 p.m. ET instead of 3:30 p.m. ET, so that arena workers had enough time to convert State Farm for the Houston Rockets-Hawks game that evening.
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