DENVER — Valkyries followers had higher set their alarm clocks for Thursday morning.
Count Warriors coach Steve Kerr among them.
“I’ll be having breakfast about that time,” Kerr said. “I’ll be watching.”
The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will tip off Game 6 of the WNBA Finals shiny and early Thursday morning, a choice that drew its fair proportion of criticism.
Kerr never had to tip off any of his Finals video games during a workday, but he believes the league discovered the greatest answer in a powerful set of circumstances.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr celebrates a 68-64 win against the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Getty Images
“It’s better than having it at the YMCA that night in front of 75 people,” Kerr quipped Monday before the Warriors took on the Nuggets in Denver. “They’re doing what they’ve got to do.”
Although the Valkyries have performed in entrance of a sold-out crowd at the 18,064-capacity Chase Center for every one of their home video games since their launch last season, the Dream usually play at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, which seats about 3,500.
The groups were in a position to play inside the NBA-sized State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 after the Dream labored with the Hawks to alter their schedule to accommodate the WNBA Finals.
Zendaya attends recreation 5 of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. Getty Images
However, it took until Monday for the WNBA to discover a answer for the conflicting dates for Game 6. The league risked one of its highest-profile video games being performed in entrance of a measly crowd because State Farm Arena was already booked for the Hawks-Cavaliers recreation that night time.
The WNBA reportedly thought-about shifting the schedule of its Finals video games to maintain them in primetime but in the end came to an settlement with the Hawks to play a double-header, shifting their recreation back to 8:30 native to squeeze in a 12:30 p.m. tipoff for Game 6 of the Finals.
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) dribbles the ball during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
The Valkyries are trying to win a title in their second season as an enlargement team, and the Warriors have taken a vested curiosity in their WNBA counterparts. Brandin Podziemski developed a status as a superfan during their first season, and Kerr was noticed sitting courtside earlier this sequence alongside principal proprietor of both Golden State groups, Joe Lacob.
While Kerr has left the Xs and Os to the Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase and her workers, that hasn’t stopped him from staying in contact all through their playoff run.
“We text,” he said. “Just offering support and she responds. But we’re not going into detail on strategy. She’s got her staff.”
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