{"id":941609,"date":"2026-10-22T03:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T03:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/941609\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T03:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T03:54:17","slug":"atlanta-dream-and-golden-state-valkyries-skip-national-anthem-for-third-straight-wnba-finals-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/941609\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries skip national anthem for third straight WNBA Finals game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ATLANTA \u2013 A change of cities did not bring a change in the Atlanta Dream<\/a> and Golden State Valkyries\u2019 national anthem routine.<\/p>\n

Both teams were off the court during the anthem before Game 3 of the WNBA<\/a> Finals on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena, marking their third straight absence despite a provision in the league\u2019s own rulebook calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.<\/p>\n

\"Q <\/p>\n

Q Parker performs the national anthem before Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena on Oct. 21, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Just like in Games 1 and 2, players jogged off the court just seconds before the start of the anthem and returned mere moments after it concluded.<\/p>\n

DREAM, VALKYRIES SKIP NATIONAL ANTHEM IN WNBA FINALS GAME 2 DESPITE RULEBOOK REQUIREMENT<\/a><\/p>\n

The WNBA, both teams and the NBA still have not answered OutKick\u2019s questions about the absences.<\/p>\n

WNBA rulebook calls for players to stand and line up<\/p>\n

The WNBA\u2019s 2026 official rulebook<\/a> says players, coaches and trainers are to “stand and line up in a dignified posture” along the sidelines or on the foul line during the national anthem.<\/p>\n

OutKick asked the WNBA whether any discipline was planned or under consideration following the anthem absences<\/a>, whether either team had received an exemption and whether the league would instruct the teams to be on the court for Game 3.<\/p>\n

\"Q <\/p>\n

Q Parker performs the national anthem before Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Both teams were asked to explain their absences and whether the league had communicated any instructions or expectations about the anthem.<\/p>\n

OutKick first contacted the WNBA, Dream and Valkyries after Saturday\u2019s opener<\/a>, followed up Sunday and contacted all three again Tuesday.<\/p>\n

NBA also received questions before Game 3<\/p>\n

The questions extended to the NBA league office before the series moved to Atlanta.<\/p>\n

OutKick contacted NBA Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass on Tuesday, asking whether the NBA has any role in overseeing or enforcing the WNBA\u2019s anthem provision.<\/p>\n

NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING NATIONAL ANTHEM IN GAMES 1 AND 2<\/a><\/p>\n

The inquiry also asked whether NBA Commissioner Adam Silver or anyone at the NBA league office had discussed the absences with WNBA leadership, whether any guidance had been provided and whether the teams would be instructed to be present for Wednesday\u2019s anthem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The NBA did not respond.<\/p>\n

\"Split <\/p>\n

The NBA has not answered OutKick\u2019s questions about the Dream and Valkyries being off the court for the national anthem during the WNBA Finals. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

OutKick also sought to ask about the anthem during the Finals press conferences. I raised my hand at all five of Saturday\u2019s pregame and postgame sessions, all four coaches\u2019 sessions Monday and both coaches\u2019 pregame sessions Wednesday, but was not called on in any of the 11.<\/p>\n

VANCE CONDEMNS ‘DISGRACEFUL’ WNBA NATIONAL ANTHEM WALKOUTS, SAYS PLAYERS SHOULD SHOW MORE GRATITUDE<\/a><\/p>\n

The teams weren\u2019t the only ones who didn\u2019t stand for Wednesday\u2019s anthem.<\/p>\n

Two people seated in an area designated for WNBA public relations staff remained in their seats during the performance. Afterward, I asked both why they hadn\u2019t stood. Neither provided an explanation.<\/p>\n

OutKick could not immediately confirm their identities and is working to determine their names and roles.<\/p>\n

\"Two <\/p>\n

Two unnamed WNBA PR staff members are seen sitting during the national anthem at Game 3 of the WNBA finals where the Atlanta Dream faced off against the Golden State Valkyries on Oct. 21, 2026. (OutKick)<\/p>\n

The venue changed, but the anthem absences continued.<\/p>\n

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW\u2013UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!<\/a><\/p>\n

Three games into the Finals, the WNBA\u2019s own rulebook calls for a lineup, its teams remain off the floor and the league still has not explained the apparent violation.<\/p>\n

Dan Zaksheske is a reporter at OutKick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ATLANTA \u2013 A change of cities did not bring a change in the Atlanta Dream and Golden State…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":941610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[732,49,48,1612,322512,231762,82,630],"class_list":["post-941609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-atlanta-dream","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golden-state-valkyries","tag-national-anthem-protests","tag-outkick-sports","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/941609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=941609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/941609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/941610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=941609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=941609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=941609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}