Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the WNBA Finals. (File photo — Image: Gregory Varnum / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0)
For the second game in a row, both teams in the WNBA Finals were off the court during the national anthem.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the floor less than a minute before the anthem began ahead of Game 2 on Monday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, and returned mere seconds after singer Alanis Morissette sang the final note — repeating exactly what they did before Game 1 on Saturday.
The repeat absence came despite an explicit provision in the WNBA's 2026 official rulebook, which 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.
Neither team has explained the absences. Before Game 2, both franchises were asked why they were off the court Saturday and whether they planned to be present Monday; those questions went unanswered. The league office has also not responded to multiple requests for comment, and there has been no announcement of any discipline for the apparent rulebook violation. Reporters at pregame and postgame press conferences were not called on when they tried to raise the topic.
This is not the first time the Atlanta organization has protested the anthem. In 2020, the Dream issued a statement saying "the anthem does not represent freedom, justice and liberty for all Americans." No current explanation has been offered for either team's decision in this series.
The back-to-back absences have drawn heavy scrutiny online and in sports media, with critics calling it disrespectful and others defending it as a form of protest. What is not in dispute is the rulebook language — and the fact that, two games into the championship series, neither finalist has been on the floor for the anthem.