Dream and Valkyries Again Skip National Anthem Before WNBA Finals Game 2
Atlanta and Golden State left the court before the anthem for the second straight Finals game, despite a league rule requiring players to stand and line up. The WNBA has not commented on possible discipline.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries were not on the court for the national anthem before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night, repeating their absence from the series opener despite a league rulebook provision that calls for players to stand and line up during the performance.
As in Game 1, both teams left the floor less than a minute before the anthem began and returned within seconds of the final note. The sequence unfolded at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the Dream evened the series with a 79-65 victory.
The WNBA’s official rulebook states that 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. Two games into the Finals, neither team has been present for it, and the league has not publicly addressed the apparent violation of its own policy.
Questions about the anthem absences have gone unanswered. Both teams were asked after Game 1 why they were off the court and whether they planned to be present for Game 2, but neither responded before Monday’s game. The league also did not respond to multiple requests for comment on its anthem requirements, whether discipline was being considered, or whether it had instructed either team to be on the floor for Game 2.
The silence extended to the podium. Reporters attended all five of Saturday’s pregame and postgame press conferences and both coaches’ sessions before Game 2 but were not called on to ask about the anthem.
The repeat absence puts a spotlight on the league’s enforcement of its own rules at the most visible moment of its season. The WNBA Finals are the league’s championship stage, and the anthem is a standard part of pregame ceremonies across American professional sports. How the league handles the situation could set a precedent for how such provisions are applied going forward.
Neither team has offered a public explanation for the timing of its departure from the court. The Dream and Valkyries have not said whether the move was coordinated or whether it was a response to any specific event. The league has not indicated whether it plans to address the matter before Game 3.
For now, the on-court story is a tied series. Atlanta’s road win on Monday ensures the Finals will return to San Francisco for at least one more game, with the anthem question lingering as a backdrop to the competition.
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