Both WNBA Finals Teams Leave the Floor for the Anthem, and Nobody Says Why

Before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Chase Center in San Francisco, neither the Atlanta Dream nor the Golden State Valkyries was on the floor for the national anthem. According to OutKick, both teams had been warming up, left the court for roughly two minutes, and came back almost as soon as the singer finished.

No team, player or league statement has explained the exit. It is unconfirmed whether it was a protest or a routine pregame step, and fans are left to guess which one they watched.

The Valkyries won the game 68-64, the franchise's first Finals win, and lead the series 1-0. Game 2 is Monday, Oct. 19.

What Happened at Chase Center

The exit was first flagged by Dan Zaksheske of OutKick, the Fox News sports brand, in a post on X and in a report from San Francisco. We have not independently read the full OutKick article, and this account relies on excerpts of it and on other outlets' coverage. "Both the Dream and the Valkyries left the court prior to the playing of the National Anthem before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals," he wrote on X.

The timing is what caught attention. "Almost immediately after the singer concluded, both teams jogged back onto the floor," Zaksheske wrote in the OutKick piece. A summary line on Just the News says players returned to the floor almost immediately after the anthem ended. Goapele sang the anthem, according to a photo caption from Yahoo and Imagn. The Post Millennial also posted a clip of the moment on X.

OutKick said it asked the WNBA, the Dream and the Valkyries for comment. None responded immediately, and no explanation has been reported since.

A History, but Only for One Team

Breitbart, in a piece by Dylan Gwinn, framed it as the teams not being on the floor to honor America, and pointed to the Dream's past. The Dream protested the anthem before, Breitbart said, most notably in 2020, when the organization declared that "the anthem does not represent freedom, justice and liberty for all Americans." OutKick dates that message to the Dream's game notes for an Aug. 2, 2020, game, which carried a WNBA players' union statement explaining anthem protests.

Breitbart's framing implies disrespect, but that is its characterization, and no evidence of intent has been offered. The 2020 history belongs to the Dream alone, and nothing reported so far links it to Saturday's exit. Nothing ties the Valkyries to any anthem protest. Whether this was a protest, a coordinated message or a pregame schedule that collided with the anthem remains unconfirmed. It is also not known whether either team did the same thing in earlier playoff rounds, or whether it reflects a league-wide practice.

The LSU Comparison

Zaksheske compared the scene to LSU's 2024 Elite Eight game against Iowa. Coach Kim Mulkey said then that the team leaves the floor at a set time before tipoff for pregame preparation. Zaksheske's own quip about a "pregame routine" was sarcastic, so it is not a claim either way. Separately, Breitbart noted that Angel Reese's LSU team drew criticism for leaving the floor during the anthem.

Nobody in Atlanta, Golden State or the league office has offered any comparable explanation for Saturday.

The Game Itself

On the court, the Valkyries earned their win late. Gabby Williams scored 26 points, including six free throws in the final 2:15, and Golden State closed on a 7-0 run, according to The Comeback. Atlanta reached the Finals by sweeping Washington and New York. Golden State survived Dallas and swept Las Vegas, The Spun reported. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase asked fans to "level up" for Game 2.

Online anger over the anthem exit has come mostly from anonymous fan posts on X, and Yahoo and The Spun describe those posts only as reported.

What Comes Next

Game 2 is Monday, Oct. 19. Whether the WNBA, the teams or the players explain Saturday's exit, and whether the league takes any action, remains open. None has been reported.