This was the Atlanta Dream's last season playing at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. They've been playing in this arena since the 2021 season. But with the capacity capped at 3,500 fans — the smallest in the WNBA — the Dream have outgrown Gateway Center. So when they made the WNBA Finals, it was apparent they'd have to find someplace else to play their two home games to accommodate the amount of excitement surrounding their run.
Of course, they could've just stayed at Gateway Center, and for a small period of time, that looked like the only option. The bigger venue option for the Dream is State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. The Dream played eight regular-season games there this season, as well as all three home games of these playoffs.
The initial problem
Initially, State Farm Arena was not an option for the Dream's home Finals games. Games 3 and 4 were originally scheduled for Thursday, October 22, and Saturday, October 24. The arena had events booked for both of the dates — a Sombr concert and the Hawks' regular-season home opener.
To be frank, fans were not happy about the Dream having to potentially host their Finals home games at Gateway Center Arena, and weirdly enough, neither was the Golden State Valkyries owner, Joe Lacob. Per The Associated Press, he stated, "I put quite a bit of pressure on the commissioner of the NBA and WNBA. I felt, look, it's not really about us; it's about the league. The look would not be good to have Ballhalla and 18,000 fans here and 3,500 here."
He's not wrong. You can expect that each of these Finals games will be sold out. The Golden State faithful have shown up at every game so far. There would be a stark and obvious disparity, with a 14,500-fan difference between the two home crowds. State Farm Arena holds around 17,000 fans.
The Hawks' ownership also expressed the want to help. Per ESPN, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin stated, "The ownership of the Atlanta Hawks, Tony Ressler, wanted us to do everything in our power to make it happen because it's great for basketball in Atlanta. It's great for the Dream. It's great for State Farm Arena. We talked to everybody from executives at State Farm to the league to the TV networks, and everyone had major conviction: let's do everything we can to make it happen."
The solution
Luckily, the issue was settled, and the Atlanta Dream will host the Golden State Valkyries at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals. Game 3 was moved to Wednesday, October 21. Game 4 will remain on Saturday, October 24 — the Hawks agreed to move their tip-off a bit later, and the Dream will play earlier in the day.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert put out a statement, expressing her gratitude for the change. "We are grateful for the efforts made by numerous stakeholders, including the Dream, the Valkyries, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and NBC Sports and USA Sports. The change of venue dramatically expands the seating capacity and ensures that the Dream will be able to provide an extraordinary atmosphere for the first WNBA Finals game to be played in the Atlanta market since 2013," she stated. Atlanta Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener added, "This is what the players deserve..."
So while the Dream aren't technically playing their home Finals games at home — Gateway Center Arena — fans will likely have a much more electric experience at State Farm Arena. Plus, this is where all 25 of the Dream's home games will be played in 2027, so they can look at this as a bit of a head start.
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