Players from the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries were reportedly absent from the court during the national anthem for the second consecutive game of the WNBA Finals, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from conservative commentators and media figures who say it disrespects the country and the military.
The New York Post reported that both teams ditched the anthem for the second game in a row during the Finals. Fox News, citing OutKick video, reported that both teams ran off the court moments before the anthem and returned seconds after the performance ended. The anthem at Game 2 was performed by pop singer Alanis Morissette.
The reported walkout came despite what the Post described as a WNBA rulebook requirement that players stand and line up during the anthem performance. According to the reporting, the reason the players continue to leave the court before the anthem remains unclear.
The reaction from commentators was immediate. Gunther Eagleman, an account with 1.8 million followers, posted that when the anthem plays he stands, puts his hand over his heart and thinks about every American who died so he could live free. He added that if the song does not light a fire in a person's chest, that person is not just on the wrong team but is the enemy Americans were warned about.
The story spread quickly across conservative media. Fox News, with 29.4 million followers, carried the OutKick report that both teams left the court before the anthem for the second straight game. The New York Post, with 4.2 million followers, reported the anthem exit as well. The Associated Press, with 16.5 million followers, focused its coverage on the game itself, reporting that Angel Reese had 30 points and 16 rebounds as the Dream rolled past the Valkyries 79-65 to even the Finals at one game apiece.
Online commentary also seized on a separate moment involving Reese during Game 2. The New York Post reported that Reese gave up mid-play on her Atlanta Dream teammates during the historic performance. According to that report, Reese was visibly frustrated with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter, standing in the mid-range area and waving her hand to signal she was open for a shot while her teammates passed the ball to everyone but her. The report described her slamming her hands on her hips and stomping on the ground before walking near the Dream bench while teammate Allisha Gray missed a three-point shot. The Post also reported that Reese appeared to ignore teammate Te-Hina Paopao, who tried to give her a high-five, as Valkyries players helped each other up after a missed rebound.
Despite the frustration, Reese was the Dream's best player on the court, finishing with 30 points and 16 rebounds to lead the team, along with three assists. Only Jordan Canada had more assists for Atlanta, with ten. The Valkyries were led in scoring by Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes, who each had 14 points.
The anthem story has built over the course of the series. Coverage of Game 1 noted that neither team was on the court when the anthem played at San Francisco's Chase Center on Saturday, October 17. OutKick reported that the Dream and Valkyries stayed off the court for the Game 2 anthem despite the rulebook requirement. Other coverage raised questions about an alleged thirty-dollar fine levied against the two teams over their Game 1 actions, though the reporting characterized that as a rumor being explained rather than a confirmed penalty.
The Post also noted that Valkyries star Gabby Williams showed full Bay Area support by honoring a 49ers great ahead of the Finals game, a detail that stood in contrast to the anthem controversy swirling around the series.
Golden State took Game 1 of the series with a 68-64 victory, scoring seventeen points in the fourth quarter to secure the win, with Williams scoring 26 points to go with four rebounds and two assists. With the Dream's victory on Monday night, the series is even at one, and the next two games will be played in Atlanta. The Valkyries are looking for their first WNBA title in their second year as a franchise.
Next News Network could not independently verify the reported anthem walkout or the details of the teams' conduct before the game.
Our Take
The national anthem is not a pregame formality to be scheduled around, and the men and women who have worn the uniform did not fight for the right to have two professional teams jog to the locker room every time the music starts. Whatever the teams' reasons, the pattern is now unmistakable: two games, two Finals, two anthem exits. The WNBA rulebook reportedly requires players to stand and line up for the anthem, and the league's silence on whether that rule means anything is its own statement. Meanwhile, the same league that markets itself on player expression has produced a Finals where the most talked-about moment is an empty court. Conservative commentators are not the ones who made this a story. The teams did, and they should expect the country to notice.
