Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries was supposed to be about an historic matchup between star forward Angel Reese and one of the league’s newest franchises. Instead, it became about neither team being on the floor to honor America during the national anthem.
Take a look:
Both teams returned to the floor as soon as the anthem was finished.
The Dream have protested the anthem before, most notably in 2020 when the organization declared, “the anthem does not represent freedom, justice and liberty for all Americans.”
Angel Reese’s college team, LSU, once also drew some flak for leaving the floor during the anthem.
Fans on X quickly reacted to the team’s decision to skip the anthem.
“That is disgusting,” one fan wrote.
“They should play the games in a country they love and earn the salary for women (?) in that country,” wrote another.
“I admit, I was watching the game until I saw this post. I quietly turned off the TV and continued on with my day. To hell with that behavior,” asserted another.
The Valkyries took Game 1 of the series 68-64.
