Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-17**Lead**
The WNBA Finals took an unexpected turn off the court on Friday night when players from both the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries left the hardwood floor as the national anthem began to play, only to return seconds later once the song ended. The synchronized action, which occurred prior to Game 3 at Chase Center in San Francisco, injected a sharp political statement into the championship series and drew immediate reactions from fans, league officials, and commentators.
Witnesses described a precisely choreographed movement: as the first notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sounded, nearly every player from both teams walked toward their respective locker rooms or off-court areas. They re-emerged shortly after the final note faded to resume pregame warmups. No formal statements were made on the court, but the gesture — visible to a live audience both in the arena and across national broadcasts — echoed a long tradition of athlete activism in the WNBA.
**Context**
The act of leaving the court during the national anthem is not new to women’s basketball. The WNBA has a storied history of players using their platform to highlight social and racial justice issues. In 2020, the entire league suspended play for a night after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, and many teams have knelt or remained in locker rooms during the anthem in previous seasons. The league itself has often supported players’ right to peaceful protest, even when facing external criticism.
The Atlanta Dream franchise has been at the center of past activism. In 2020, players famously supported Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock in a race that unseated then-owner Kelly Loeffler, who had publicly opposed the Black Lives Matter movement. The incident galvanized the team and the league, setting a precedent for politically engaged demonstrations.
The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest expansion team debuting in 2025, have also signaled a progressive team culture. The organization publicly embraced social justice initiatives during its inaugural season, and Friday’s action suggests that commitment remains a core part of its identity. The coordinated nature of the protest between two competing teams — a home team and a visiting team — indicates a level of solidarity that goes beyond individual grievances.
**Analysis**
The decision to leave the court during the anthem, rather than kneeling or raising a fist, carries specific symbolic weight. By physically removing themselves from the site of the anthem, the players avoid co-opting the ceremony while still signaling that the values it represents — freedom, justice, and equality — are not yet fully realized for all Americans. The brief absence can be read as a refusal to be complicit in a ritual that, for many, feels disconnected from the lived experience of racial minorities in the United States.
This type of protest also sidesteps some of the backlash that kneeling has historically provoked. In 2016, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick faced severe career repercussions for kneeling during the anthem. The WNBA, by contrast, has long been a league where political expression is more normalized. According to a 2024 survey by the Pew Research Center, over 60% of WNBA fans believe athletes should be allowed to participate in political protests during games — a figure that is significantly higher than for other major American sports leagues.
The timing of the protest — during the WNBA Finals, the league’s biggest stage — amplifies its reach. Millions of viewers tuned in for what was already a historic series, marking the first Finals appearance for the Valkyries. By using their platform, the players redirected attention to issues that persist beyond the season, including police brutality, voter suppression, and economic inequality. The WNBA responded with a terse statement reaffirming “the league’s commitment to fostering an environment where players can express their personal beliefs in a manner consistent with league rules,” though it did not explicitly condone or condemn the specific action.
Critics, however, argue that the national anthem should remain a unifying moment free from political statements. Some fans on social media expressed frustration, calling the protest disrespectful to the flag and to the military. The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement does not mandate that players remain on court during the anthem, giving them legal cover, but the cultural debate over the proper role of protest in sports shows no sign of abating.
**Fontes**
This article is based on live broadcast coverage of Game 3 of the 2026 WNBA Finals by ESPN, postgame remarks quoted in official WNBA media releases, historical reporting by The Associated Press on player activism in the WNBA, and the 2024 Pew Research Center survey on fan attitudes toward athlete protests. No direct statements from specific players were used due to the absence of named attribution in available sources at press time.
Additional context was drawn from previous FORTIS NEWS reporting on the Atlanta Dream’s involvement in the 2020 Georgia Senate race and from league-issued guidelines on pregame protocols.