Draymond Green Explains Controversial WNBA Finals Game 6 Start Time

Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream commenced at an unusual 9:30 a.m. PT on Thursday, a start time that posed viewing challenges for fans across the country, particularly on the West Coast.

Warriors star Draymond Green offered an explanation for the early kickoff, citing a scheduling conflict with the Atlanta Hawks at the shared State Farm Arena. Green explained on his podcast that the arena is owned by the Atlanta Hawks organization, which also does not own the Atlanta Dream. He suggested that from a business perspective, the Hawks' owners would not prioritize accommodating the Dream's game over their own team's scheduling needs.

"If the Atlanta Hawks owners owned the Dream, I’m sure they’d make the Hawks play at 12:30 p.m. ET and have the Dream play later," Green stated. "But why would they do that? Why would they compromise their money for a team that they don’t own?"

This scheduling conflict also impacted potential championship celebrations. Had the Valkyries won Game 6, their victory celebration would have been relocated to a practice court because the arena needed to be reconfigured for an upcoming Hawks game.

The Dream had explored alternative venues for the playoff game, but State Farm Arena remained the only viable option, despite the resulting scheduling complications.

Game 7 of the WNBA Finals is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. PT at Chase Center.