'This Is Purely on the Dream' -- Analysts Set the Record Straight on Atlanta's Arena Controversy As Angel Reese and Co. Gear Up for WNBA Finals Mohamed Rizvi Tue, October 13, 2026 at 2:46 PM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Atlanta Dream reached their first WNBA Finals since 2013, but State Farm Arena, where they played all three home playoff games, is booked on all three of their Finals home dates.
The Dream host the Golden State Valkyries in Games 3 and 4 on October 22 and 24, plus Game 6 on October 29 if necessary. The Dream reportedly could play at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
Yahoo Sports senior writer Dan Wolken and podcast host Sam Vecenie explained Monday why the Atlanta Hawks' arena could not simply be cleared for the Dream.
"Literally not how any of this works," Wolken wrote in a post on X. "The Atlanta Hawks ownership group does not own the Atlanta Dream. State Farm Arena was booked on the 22nd with a concert and 24th with a game. An NBA team cannot just 'give up'
a game to accommodate another event," Wolken added.
The Dream were sold in 2021 to a group led by real estate executive Larry Gottesdiener that includes former Dream star Renee Montgomery. The Hawks operate State Farm Arena, which is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority.
The arena is booked on the third date, too. After the Sombr concert on October 22 and the Hawks' home opener against the Houston Rockets on October 24, the Hawks host the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, which could be the date of a possible Game 6.
Late Sunday, hours before Wolken posted, one fan asked, "The Hawks can't give up their preseason games at State Farm Arena for the WNBA championship?" The fan also called the situation "sad."
"It just isn't how any of this works," Vecenie, host of the Game Theory Podcast, wrote Monday afternoon, after saying he had seen people upset about the Dream not getting State Farm Arena for the Finals. "You can't just displace an NBA team's regular season opener or concert in this case. This is purely on the Dream/WNBA."
Wolken then replied to Vecenie, "Well apparently on this app some people think you can just break a whole bunch of contracts on a whim because another team wants the building that night."
The October 24 game is the Hawks' home opener. Their season opens October 21 at Orlando.
Both Hawks games on those dates are regular-season games. The Hawks played their last home preseason game on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and their only remaining preseason game is Friday in Dallas.
NBA teams have moved preseason games to accommodate WNBA playoff dates before. The Minnesota Timberwolves changed the date of a 2024 preseason game to make room for the Lynx, while in 2021 the Phoenix Suns moved a preseason game to the afternoon so the Mercury could play at the arena that night.
CBS Sports' Jack Maloney wrote that a preseason game is much easier to move than a regular-season game, especially a home opener. He added that the Hawks and Dream, unlike those two pairs, are owned by separate groups, so the Hawks lack the same incentive to work around the Dream's schedule.
The Valkyries, who host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, had a conflict of their own. Their ownership group owns and operates Chase Center, and a Doja Cat concert there was moved to October 25 to clear the arena for Game 2.
"Things get booked in arenas with contingency dates," Valkyries president Jess Smith said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "That's standard operating procedure."
READ MORE: ESPN Legend Sends 6-Word Message After Angel Reese's Dream Suffer Arena Blow Ahead of WNBA Finals
The Dream's setup changes next season. On October 6, the team announced a multi-year agreement to play all 25 home games at State Farm Arena starting in 2027. A team spokesperson told Front Office Sports the Dream expect to hold all playoff games there, with the arena holding playoff dates in case they qualify.
Dream president and chief operating officer Morgan Shaw Parker said last week that the team was finalizing details on its Finals home venue. As of Monday, the Dream had not announced one, and tickets for the Atlanta games had not gone on sale. The Finals open Saturday at Chase Center, with Game 3 set for October 22.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
Source: Sport
0 Comments