WNBA Finals Game 6 venue changed to State Farm. What we’re hearing

WNBA Finals Game 6 venue changed to State Farm. What we're hearing.

Key points

• It then spent two seasons at Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion from 2017-2018 before returning to State Farm in 2019.
• The WNBA published a statement saying Game 6 between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries will be played at State Farm Arena.
• The Atlanta Dream's home venue, Gateway Center Arena, holds roughly 3, 500-plus individuals.
• After overcoming scheduling problems for Game 3 and Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, the date for Game 3 was changed o Wednesday, Oct.
• After making the WNBA Finals, the Dream hoped to play at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

WNBA Finals Game 6 venue changed to State Farm. What we're hearing. Meghan L. Hall USA TODAY. Tina Charles' WNBA Finals prediction.

WNBA MVP Tina Charles gives her two cents on what she thinks will happen in the WNBA Finals between the Dream and Valkyries.

SAN FRANCISCO ― The scheduling hurdles of moving the WNBA Finals games in Atlanta leave a lot of questions.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream's home venue, Gateway Center Arena, holds roughly 3, 500-plus individuals. It would produce a hosting a potential championship series game there less than ideal.

Meanwhile, the WNBA published a statement saying Game 6 between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries will be played at State Farm Arena. It seats 17, 000 residents, and not the Gateway Center Arena. The game has been moved up to 12: 30 p.m. ET from 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 29, to accommodate the Atlanta Hawks game that evening.

Before the WNBA Finals began, the WNBA, NBA and both teams were able to move Games 3 and 4 from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena in Atlanta. It holds more than 17, 000 individuals.

Nevertheless, location and logistics matters for a Game 6 were not resolved then. The game had been slated to be held at Gateway and not State Farm before the tipoff was moved up by the WNBA on Monday.

USA TODAY's Studio IX looks at the questions surrounding Game 6 and shares what we heard regarding the upcoming matchup, slated for Thursday, Oct. 29. How long has the WNBA known regarding the Finals scheduling matters?

Multiple individuals with direct knowledge of the situation informed USA TODAY the potential scheduling problems for the Dream's Finals games were raised "weeks ago" when it became apparent Atlanta would probable create the playoffs. It's USA TODAY's understanding it was then brought up again after the team secured its postseason spot.

Why was the location for WNBA Finals Game 6 still up in the air?

After overcoming scheduling problems for Game 3 and Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, the date for Game 3 was changed o Wednesday, Oct. 21 from Thursday, Oct. 22, to accommodate the venue change from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena. Game 4's date remained unchanged on Oct. 24, with the tipoff time moved to 1 p.m. ET from its original 3: 30 p.m. The move was created to accommodate a Hawks game at State Farm the same day. The Hawks game was moved from an 8 p.m. ET start to 8: 30 p.m. ET.

With Game 6, they took a similar approach and moved the tipoff up. The Hawks plan to host the Cleveland Cavaliers the same day as Game 6 at 8 p.m. ET. Were other venue options explored for WNBA Finals games?

After making the WNBA Finals, the Dream hoped to play at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. This year, the team hosted six regular-season contests and three postseason games at the venue. Still, initial discussions to move Finals games to State Farm were unsuccessful before Tuesday, Oct. 13, due to scheduling conflicts with a concert and two Hawks games.

Meanwhile, the Dream attempted to explore other venue options in the Atlanta area for Game 3 and 4, such as Gas South Arena (up to 13, 000 seats) and Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion (8, 600 seats), but were unsuccessful in securing those venues. Why don't the Atlanta Dream play at State Farm Arena?

On Oct. 6, the Dream confirmed they will call State Farm Arena. It is operated by the Hawks, home next year. The move was part of a multi-year agreement with the facility to host home games and against the backdrop of record expansion for the league. Next season, the WNBA will move to 50 games and State Farm will host the Dream's 25 home contests.

For context, the Dream sold out every game during the last three seasons at their current home, Gateway Center Arena. It seats 3, 500-plus patrons. Within that same span, Atlanta played multiple games at State Farm. It seats just north of 17, 000 individuals, including six regular-season matchups, three playoff games and two Finals games.

Atlanta, which joined the league as an expansion franchise in 2008, began its WNBA tenure at Philips Arena (renamed State Farm Arena) the same year and played at the venue through the 2016 season. It then spent two seasons at Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion from 2017-2018 before returning to State Farm in 2019. After the 2019 season, the Dream moved to Gateway Center in 2020, where they have played seven seasons.

Along with playing games at State Farm, the Dream are additionally exploring aims for a women's specific arena in Atlanta going forward. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, WNBA Finals Game 6 venue changed to State Farm. What were hearing is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.