Atlanta Dream owners voice frustration in open letter over WNBA Finals venue concerns, Game 6 set for Thursday afternoon

The ownership group of the Atlanta Dream has voiced frustration in an open letter over the venue and scheduling of Game 6 of the WNBA Finals. In the letter released on Wednesday, the owners said their concerns about hosting Finals games at a venue with enough capacity did not receive the attention they deserved.

Golden State Valkyries took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with a win on Monday. To keep their championship hopes alive and force a decisive Game 7, the Atlanta Dream must win on Thursday. Game 6 will be played at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, but it will tip off at 12:30 p.m. Eastern — a matinee start on the East Coast and a breakfast-time start on the West Coast.

Dream owners Larry and Robyn Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery said in the letter that they had raised concerns about potential scheduling conflicts months before the Finals began. According to the letter, two months ago, when the WNBA finalized playoff dates and times, they raised concerns that the Finals schedule conflicted with NBA games at State Farm Arena. As the team moved through the playoffs, they reiterated those concerns, but the concerns did not receive the attention or the urgency they deserved.

The owners also said in the letter that moving Game 6 to the early afternoon was not what they had fought for. They suggested the scheduling issues may have stemmed from an assumption that Atlanta would not reach the Finals. Whatever the reason, the letter said, the reality is that the Dream are here, they earned their place in the Finals, and the city deserves the opportunity to show up for its team.

State Farm Arena is the longtime home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and can accommodate roughly 17,000 fans. All of Atlanta's home playoff games this postseason have been played there. For the past several seasons, the Dream's primary home court has been Gateway Center Arena, which holds 3,500 spectators — a WNBA low. The Dream recently announced plans to return to State Farm Arena for all home games beginning in 2027.

The schedule changes have also affected the Hawks. Game 4 pushed Atlanta's home game last Saturday against the Houston Rockets to 8:30 p.m., while Thursday's Hawks-Cavaliers matchup will move to 8 p.m. to give arena crews time to prepare the building after the Dream-Valkyries game. Game 3 was also moved up one day, meaning all three WNBA Finals games played in Atlanta have needed some level of schedule adjustment.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, in a statement on Monday, praised the sellout crowds for Games 3 and 4 and said the league was excited to give thousands more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line. She thanked the NBA, Dream, Valkyries, Hawks, State Farm Arena and USA Network for the collaboration and flexibility that made the move possible.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne described the decision to schedule Game 6 on a weekday afternoon as the best of the bad solutions. Among the options discussed, she reported, were moving Game 6 to Friday and Game 7 to Tuesday. Tuesday, 3 November, is also Election Day for the midterm elections, and the Golden State Warriors, who share Chase Center with the Valkyries, have home games scheduled for Sunday, 1 November, and Monday, 2 November.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in a social media flyer, urged employers and educators to extend a little grace to Dream fans on Thursday afternoon. Despite the logistical challenges, the Dream confirmed on Wednesday that tickets for Game 6 had sold out.