Valkyries stars tells fans to ‘call in sick’ for Game 6 as early WNBA Finals tipoff sparks fan reaction
Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries has been moved up to 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday to give State Farm Arena enough time to get the building ready for an NBA game that evening.
The early tipoff could create a challenge for fans in California, where the game will begin at 9:30 a.m. PT. The Valkyries defeated the Dream in Monday’s Game 5 in San Francisco to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, meaning Game 6 could determine the WNBA champion.
While championship series games, especially potential championship-clinching contests, are routinely played in prime time, Thursday’s less-than-ideal scheduling doesn’t appear likely to stop Valkyries fans from tuning in to watch their favorite team.
WNBA FINALS GAME 6, A POTENTIAL TITLE-CLINCHER, WILL BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOON ON THURSDAY
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is among those who plan to tune in, even if he’s having breakfast when the game is starting. "We’ll have a day off that day, so, yeah, I’ll be watching," he said.
Several of the WNBA Finals games have drawn record ratings, showing how much interest there is in the league, this series and its athletes. The Valkyries have sold out every game since they began as an expansion franchise last year.
Shaunice Christmas-Miller and her wife, Kendall, have attended every home playoff game this season at Chase Center. Their jobs allow them to be flexible and work from home Thursday. Nevertheless, the couple believes the fan base will still show up Thursday.
"Absolutely, they will definitely find a way," Shaunice said.
Valkyries co-owner Peter Guber was largely unconcerned that the franchise’s devoted home crowd would come together when it matters most, despite morning challenges such as commuter traffic heading into San Francisco for a watch party.
Supporters have been invited to gather outside Chase Center’s Thrive City viewing area beneath the big screen.
Shaunice added that she wishes everybody involved had considered the various options well in advance to avoid such last-minute scrambling.
"They should have thought ahead for the whole seven-game series," Shaunice noted. "The women deserve primetime slots."
Others expressed their feelings on social media.
Rapper Flavor Flav posted Tuesday: "Thursday is a paid holiday. Because Flavor Flav said so." Included in his post was a photo of a note directed to bosses everywhere as a permission slip of sorts requesting excused absences for employees, signed by Flavor Flav with dual titles beneath his name — "The World’s Greatest Hype Man" and "Official Supporter of Women’s Sports."
Ole Miss women’s coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin sounded off.
"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," she posted on X. "Just my 2cents that no one asked for."
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Golden State coach Natalie Nakase and her players have focused all along on what they can control, and this certainly isn’t one of those things.
But there were some clever postgame offerings:
"Call in sick, I recommend it," point guard Veronica Burton cracked.
"Yeah, right? Y’all know how to fake a cough, didn’t we all do that?" teammate Kiah Stokes added.
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Golden State guard Kaila Charles has no doubt the Valkyries will adjust for the early tipoff.
"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," Charles said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.