Atlanta Dream Reach WNBA Finals, Face Golden State Valkyries Starting Oct. 17

The Atlanta Dream will open the 2026 WNBA Finals on Friday against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center, marking the franchise’s first championship appearance since 2013 and the expansion Valkyries’ inaugural Finals berth. Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for San Francisco before the series shifts to State Farm Arena.

Atlanta advanced by eliminating the New York Liberty in the semifinals, while Golden State swept the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces in three games. The Valkyries’ 3-0 series win included an 87-77 overtime victory in Game 3 at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Oct. 9, with Kayla Thornton’s third-quarter 3-point shooting and Kiah Stokes’ interior defense neutralizing A’ja Wilson.

For Dream guard Rhyne Howard, the moment crystallized days after the clinching win. At the team’s final Atlanta practice Tuesday, the 2022 Rookie of the Year and four-time All-Star teared up describing the five-year climb. “We just worked so hard to get here, and it’s been a rough five years,” Howard said. “So to finally be here, it’s not something we just let go of easily.”

Howard, who led the league in steals at 2.3 per game this season and earned second-team All-Defense honors in 2025, had previously reached the playoffs three times without escaping the first round. In five postseason games this year, she has averaged 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals.

The turnaround traces to a deliberate culture build. Forward Naz Hillmon, drafted 15th overall in 2022 alongside Howard, described the process in April: “We really got here when it was gutted. Like we brought in the drywall.” The addition of Angel Reese — the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year — accelerated the timeline. Reese, acquired via trade, immediately anchored a defense that held New York below 85 points in two of three semifinal games.

“She’s a sneaky assassin,” Reese said of Howard on Oct. 6. “Even when she wasn’t shooting the ball well, she continued to pour into everybody. It just goes to show how great of a leader she is. We’re doing this for you.”

Golden State’s run has been equally improbable. Coached by Natalie Nakase in the franchise’s first season, the Valkyries topped the Aces behind balanced scoring from Tiffany Hayes, Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton, plus a rookie class headlined by Kaitlyn Chen and Janelle Salaün, the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year.

The Finals matchup contrasts Atlanta’s veteran-led resurrection with Golden State’s instant-contender expansion model. The Dream’s core — Howard, Hillmon, DeWanna Bonner and Jordin Canada — has endured multiple coaching changes and losing seasons. The Valkyries assembled a playoff-ready roster through the expansion draft, free agency and savvy rookie development.

Atlanta hasn’t won a Finals game since 2011 and lost all three previous appearances (2010, 2011, 2013). Golden State is the first expansion team to reach the Finals in its inaugural season since the Chicago Sky in 2014, though Chicago fell in the semifinals that year.

The Dream’s path required upsetting the top-seeded Liberty at Barclays Center in Game 1, then closing the series at home. Howard’s defense on Sabrina Ionescu and Reese’s interior presence disrupted New York’s offensive rhythm. The Valkyries, meanwhile, held Wilson to single-digit fourth-quarter scoring across Games 2 and 3.

Game 1 tips off at 9 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN. The series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta on Oct. 20 and 22 if necessary.