One of the key efforts by WNBA media to build a better news ecosystem around the league as it explodes in growth has been to push for improved access to players and teams.<\/p>\n
In 2023, the league and players\u2019 union closed off locker rooms to reporters<\/a>, reimplementing pandemic-era rules. Most leagues have mandatory windows before and after games during which reporters are allowed into the locker room. The WNBA is the only major American league to have such restrictions, and the NFLPA was roundly panned<\/a> when it tried a similar experiment in 2024.<\/p>\n So it was a noteworthy shift this weekend when, after Game 7 of the Finals in San Francisco, the WNBA seemingly allowed some reporters into the Golden State Valkyries\u2019 locker room championship celebration to the media. WNBA media, according to Jackie Powell of NBC Sports and The IX<\/a>, had been shut out from the celebration since 2022.<\/p>\n ESPN basketball reporter Kendra Andrews was on the scene to document the sights and sounds of the Valkyries\u2019 triumphal moment. Andrews posted<\/a> videos from the celebration with the caption \u201cValkyries\u2019 championship locker room,\u201d and cameras from USA Network also captured footage that aired<\/a> on the postgame show for Game 7.<\/p>\n