The WNBA has spent the past few seasons working to establish itself as a mainstream league, and with viewership surging, the 2026 WNBA Finals controversy threatens to overshadow that progress. The ongoing national anthem walkouts by the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have now caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who believes the league could jeopardize its own momentum if it fails to address the issue.
“By the way, what’s going on with the women’s NBA? What’s that all about?” Trump said during his recent rally in Iowa for the midterm elections,as per an X post by Nick Sortor. “They’ll destroy themselves before they get started because they just started to do good… It’s a big deal going on! They leave the court when the national anthem is played. What’s that all about? The NFL did that for a while, and they stopped because people stopped watching the games. So I think you should do the same thing with women’s basketball unless they get there.”
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The Dream and Valkyries have now played three games in their best-of-seven Finals series, with Atlanta holding a 2-1 series lead. Yet, both teams have walked off the court before the national anthem in all three games, despite the WNBA rulebook stating that “Players, coaches, and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem.”
The wording clearly establishes expectations for players during the anthem, but it does not explicitly state that they must remain on the court for its duration. Then there is the question of enforcement, which also complicates the issue.
According to the Associated Press, the WNBA suspended enforcement of its anthem protocols in 2017 while supporting players and coaches who wanted to show solidarity with victims of violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Teams also left the court before the anthem in 2020, when the league dedicated its season to Breonna Taylor.
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The WNBA has a long history of players using their platform to speak on social and political issues, but the reason behind the Dream and the Valkyries’ action is still unclear.
Following Game 1, OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske and his team sought explanations from the WNBA, the Dream, and the Valkyries. On X, he wrote that they “asked the league and both teams to explain.” However, “None answered.”
So as the criticism around their actions continues to pile on, even Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the controversy, calling the teams’ actions “disgraceful.” He argued that criticizing a politician’s public policy should not come at the expense of respect for the country, adding that WNBA players have “a lot to be grateful to the United States for.”
The WNBA has yet to address the walkouts, leaving questions about the teams’ decisions unresolved as the Dream and Valkyries continue their battle for a first championship.
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The post “They’ll Destroy Themselves”: President Donald Trump Addresses WNBA Stars Snubbing National Anthem During the Finals appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
