Both WNBA Finals teams absent from court during Game 1 national anthem
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the floor moments before the national anthem during WNBA Finals Game 1, then returned seconds after it ended.
SAN FRANCISCO – The WNBA’s own rulebook calls for players, coaches and trainers to stand and line up along the sidelines or foul line during the national anthem. Both of its Finals teams left the court for Saturday’s performance, and the league has not answered OutKick’s questions about their absences.
And with Game 2 set for Monday night, neither team has told OutKick whether it plans to be on the floor for the anthem this time.
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Neither the Atlanta Dream nor the Golden State Valkyries were on the court during the national anthem prior to Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals. (NBAE via Getty Images)
Both teams were warming up on the court Saturday at Chase Center before leaving just ahead of the national anthem. Within seconds of the performance ending, the players were jogging back onto the floor.
Getting an explanation for why the teams chose to be off the floor for those roughly two minutes has been incredibly difficult.
OutKick contacted the WNBA, and both the Dream and Valkyries on Saturday, then followed up with all three Sunday.
None answered the anthem questions before publication.
OutKick also attended all five of Saturday’s pregame and postgame press conferences but was not called on. We had planned to ask about the teams’ plans before the game and their absence from the anthem afterward.
WNBA anthem enforcement and Game 2 plans remain unclear
The follow-up questions to both teams were straightforward: Why were their players off the court during the Game 1 anthem? Would they be there for Game 2? Had the WNBA communicated any instructions or expectations about the anthem since Saturday?
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Angel Reese and her Atlanta Dream teammates were not on the floor during the national anthem prior to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. (Getty Images)
The WNBA’s 2026 official rulebook includes an anthem provision covering players, coaches and trainers. It calls for them to form a standing line at a sideline or foul line while the anthem plays.
The league has not answered OutKick’s questions about its anthem requirements, whether any discipline is planned or under consideration, or whether it will instruct either team to be present for Game 2.
We also asked the league to confirm whether both teams would be on the court for Monday's anthem.
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If Saturday's absences were simply part of the teams' pregame routines, both have had an opportunity to explain that. Neither has done so in response to OutKick’s inquiries.
But a pregame routine that keeps players off the floor during the national anthem deserves scrutiny.
The Chase Center interior is shown during Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries on Oct. 17, 2026, in San Francisco, Calif. (NBAE via Getty Images)
Game 2 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Monday at Chase Center.
It took the teams mere seconds to return to the floor after the anthem. More than a day after OutKick asked why they left, the teams and the WNBA still haven’t answered.
