Atlanta venue for WNBA Finals still in doubt for Dream, Valkyries
by Liam Griffin · The Washington TimesThe WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries kicks off on Saturday, with the first two games settled in San Francisco’s Chase Center. It’s unclear where Atlanta will host Games 3, 4 and — if necessary — 6.
The Dream, like many teams in the growing WNBA, have split their time between multiple venues this season. The majority of their games were played at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena. Big-ticket matchups, like visits from Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever, necessitated a move to the significantly larger State Farm Arena.
On paper, the championship series would be deserving of the venue with five times as many seats. But State Farm Arena is also the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
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The Hawks have regular-season home games scheduled for Oct. 24 and 29, overlapping with Games 4 and 6. Game 3 — currently slated for Oct. 22 — clashes with a previously scheduled concert from indie rock artist Sombr at the arena.
Officials from the Dream and the WNBA have not confirmed their venue plan for the upcoming Finals. There is a precedent for moving championship matchups to alternate sites. The Washington Mystics hosted a Finals matchup at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena in 2018.
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