WNBA Somehow Managed to Bury Its Own Championship Game

The WNBA really can’t help itself, as a new champion might be crowned on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

That’s right.

Nothing says growing the game and marketing star players like playing a championship-deciding game in the middle of a work day. But that’s exactly what the WNBA has decided to do.

Game 6 of the WNBA Finals will be held at State Farm Arena in Atlanta (where the NBA’s Hawks play) at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Golden State Valkyries hold a 3-2 lead over the Atlanta Dream, and they could win their organization’s first championship with a win on Thursday. On the other side of this matchup, Atlanta’s Angel Reese will try to stop Gabby Williams from delivering a championship.

At noon. On a Thursday.

For several days, the WNBA scrambled to figure out where this game would be played. The Hawks are hosting a back-to-back against the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and Thursday, and the league refused to push a potential Game 7 beyond Halloween night.

Initially, rumors surfaced that if the Valkyries win Game 6 and are crowned WNBA Champions, the trophy presentation and celebration would need to be moved onto a practice court instead of the main floor, as the Hawks would need to begin the floor conversions for warmups against the Cavs.

What a train wreck that would’ve been, but ESPN is reporting the WNBA is saying that won’t be a concern. We’ll see.

It’s just disappointing that a championship game gets buried like this. If you’re in California, a diehard Valkyries fan, this game starts at 9:30 a.m. That feels silly, doesn’t it?

Not to mention, it completely takes away from the story of how cool this game could be for the Valkyries. With a victory, they can win their first championship in just their second season of existence, joining the WNBA as an expansion franchise in 2025.

They could celebrate Williams, who had a dominant postseason and lived up to high expectations from Golden State’s ownership group. Head coach Natalie Nakase won Coach of the Year honors after her team delivered a 32-12 record, securing the league’s second seed behind only the Minnesota Lynx, who had just one more victory and one less defeat.

More impressively, the Valkyries sold out all 22 home games at Chase Center ("Ballhalla"), setting single-season attendance records. These fans genuinely care, and it’s very disappointing that they’ll have to watch their team contend for a title before lunch.