Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, a scheduling decision made to clear the building in time for an NBA game that night. For fans on the West Coast, that means a potential championship-clinching game starts at 9:30 a.m. PT.
The Valkyries beat the Dream in Monday’s Game 5 in San Francisco, taking a 3-2 series lead. Thursday’s game could end the series and crown a champion in the middle of a workday.
Championship games are typically scheduled in prime time. The early tipoff hasn’t stopped players and fans from reacting, with several simply telling supporters to skip work.
Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton joked after the Game 5 win: “Call in sick, I recommend it.” Teammate Kiah Stokes added, “Yeah, right? Y’all know how to fake a cough, didn’t we all do that?”
Rapper Flavor Flav posted a mock permission slip on social media Tuesday declaring Thursday “a paid holiday,” signed with the titles “The World’s Greatest Hype Man” and “Official Supporter of Women’s Sports.”
Not everyone found it funny. Ole Miss women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin wrote on X: “I’d rather play anywhere else than have a 12:30 tip for a WNBA FINALS game man! Not a good look! For fans and for the players. Just my 2cents that no one asked for.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he’ll be watching regardless of the hour. “We’ll have a day off that day, so, yeah, I’ll be watching,” he said.
The Valkyries, an expansion franchise that began play last year, have sold out every home game since their debut, and several games in this Finals series have drawn record ratings.
Shaunice Christmas-Miller and her wife, Kendall, have been to every home playoff game at Chase Center this season and plan to attend Thursday’s watch party since their jobs let them work remotely. “Absolutely, they will definitely find a way,” Shaunice said of the fan base. But she said the league should have planned better from the start of the series. “They should have thought ahead for the whole seven-game series,” she said. “The women deserve primetime slots.”
Valkyries co-owner Peter Guber said he wasn’t worried fans would show up despite the morning start and San Francisco commuter traffic. The team has invited fans to gather outside Chase Center’s Thrive City viewing area to watch on the big screen.
Valkyries guard Kaila Charles said she expects the team to adjust. “I think it’s a good thing that we’re able to play in a bigger arena so that they can have more people come and support women’s basketball,” she said.
