Mark Giannotto, USA TODAY Wed, October 21, 2026 at 7:20 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another National Anthem controversy is brewing at the 2026 WNBA Finals .
Players from both the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream are facing significant online backlash after neither team was on the court before the "Star-Spangled Banner" was performed ahead of Games 1 and 2. Videos circulating on social media show players jogging off the floor moments before the anthem began at Chase Center in San Francisco and returning shortly after it concluded.
The footage reignited a debate that has lingered across professional sports since Colin Kaepernick's protests nearly a decade ago , with conservative commentators and websites criticizing the WNBA and its players ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday night in Atlanta . Many of the assumptions fueling the online strife, however, are inaccurate. While some fans interpreted the players' absence as a political statement, the actions of both teams were consistent with longstanding WNBA policy.
Here's what to know about the WNBA's national anthem policy, as well as what players have said about not appearing on the court for the "Star-Spangled Banner."
The stars came out for the 2026 WNBA Finals. See photos of celebrities, entertainers and notable guests arriving in style, courtside and taking in the action. Game 1: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors celebrates the 68-64 against the Atlanta Dream in game one. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) Game 1: Kerri Walsh Jennings attends game one of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center on October 17, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) Game 1: Moses Moody of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the third quarter. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) Sue Bird on the court before game one of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream at Chase Center. (Kelley L Cox, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 1 / 4 Celebrities show up in style for an unforgettable WNBA Finals The stars came out for the 2026 WNBA Finals. See photos of celebrities, entertainers and notable guests arriving in style, courtside and taking in the action. Game 1: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors celebrates the 68-64 against the Atlanta Dream in game one. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) 1 / 4 Celebrities show up in style for an unforgettable WNBA Finals The stars came out for the 2026 WNBA Finals. See photos of celebrities, entertainers and notable guests arriving in style, courtside and taking in the action. Game 1: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors celebrates the 68-64 against the Atlanta Dream in game one. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) 2 / 4 Celebrities show up in style for an unforgettable WNBA Finals Game 1: Kerri Walsh Jennings attends game one of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center on October 17, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) 3 / 4 Celebrities show up in style for an unforgettable WNBA Finals Game 1: Moses Moody of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the third quarter. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) 4 / 4 Celebrities show up in style for an unforgettable WNBA Finals Sue Bird on the court before game one of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream at Chase Center. (Kelley L Cox, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) What is the WNBA's national anthem policy? The WNBA rulebook includes a policy requiring players, coaches and trainers 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 league suspended the policy during the 2017 season following the violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, allowing players greater freedom to express themselves during the anthem.
The decision to not stand for the anthem became widespread in the WNBA during its 2020 season in the bubble following the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Since then, many of the league's teams have elected to not be on the court when the "Star-Spangled Banner" is typically played before starting lineup introductions.
The Valkyries said they have gone to the locker room during the national anthem since joining the WNBA ahead of the 2025 season. The Dream have reportedly followed a similar pregame routine for several years.
"We've been doing that," Valkyries guard Veronica Burton told reporters before Game 2. "That's just our pregame routine. We've been doing that since last year."
When asked if there was any message or statement to not being on the floor during the national anthem, Burton said "no."
The WNBA is not the only major professional league in North America that does not require its athletes and personnel to stand for the U.S. national anthem. Major League Baseball and the NHL do not have standing policies that mandate being present for the "Star-Spangled Banner" before games.
The NFL and NBA, however, do require their players to stand for the national anthem, though there appear to be caveats in terms of enforcement.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters in 2017 as the controversy surrounding Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the "Star-Spangled Banner" swirled that he expected players to stand for the national anthem in keeping with league policy. In February 2021 , the NBA also sent out a press release reiterating to its teams that playing the national anthem before games was a league requirement after the Dallas Mavericks elected to skip using it at games for several months.
The NFL enacted its national anthem policy in 2018 . It requires players and league personnel on the sideline to stand while giving them the option to remain in the locker room if they don't want to stand. Individual franchises, however, have the ability to create and enforce their own anthem rules, including fines "to ensure the anthem is being respected during any on-field action."
USA TODAY Sports reporter Marcus D. Smith contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did WNBA's Dream, Valkyries break National Anthem rules? Controversy explained
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