Angel Reese Reacts To Dream’s WNBA Finals Move To State Farm Arena

The Atlanta Dream confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries will be played at State Farm Arena, moving both games out of Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga.

Angel Reese talked about the switch with WSB-TV sports anchor Alison Mastrangelo, in a clip posted to X by Luke Hetrick.

Gateway Center seats 3,500 for basketball, the smallest capacity in the league. State Farm Arena seats 17,044.

Had the move fallen through, Reese was ready to play in College Park anyway, with a big TV and a cookout outside the building for everybody who could not get a seat.

"It's a bittersweet moment because I do love Gateway so much," Reese said. "And I love the intimacy of being here and all the fans coming out and supporting us. And even if we couldn't go to State Farm, I was going to be grateful to just be able to be here and have everybody here. We probably had a big TV outside, and everybody outside, it would be a whole cookout, have a good time."

"But I am looking forward to everybody showing up and supporting us at State Farm because every game has been a great turnout," Reese continued. "Celebrities on the side, everybody coming to support. You don't know who you're going to see in Atlanta, so everybody always has fun."

Atlanta played five regular-season games downtown this season, according to The Associated Press. Its first three home playoff games were there, too.

In Game 2 of the semifinals, the Dream beat the New York Liberty 101-98 in overtime at State Farm Arena on a Naz Hillmon layup with 20.8 seconds remaining.

From 2008 through 2016, the building was the Dream's home, back when it was still called Philips Arena. On Oct. 6, the franchise announced a multiyear agreement to return full time in 2027. With the league going to a 50-game schedule next season, that means 25 regular-season dates downtown.

Three bookings at State Farm Arena stood in the way of this year's Finals dates, a conflict Roundtable reported before Tuesday's announcement.

Game 3 had been set for Thursday, Oct. 22, the night of a Sombr concert in the building. It moves up a day to Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network, CNBC, and Peacock.

Game 4 stays on Saturday, Oct. 24. Tip-off moves from 3:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET, with NBC and Peacock carrying it.

That night, the Atlanta Hawks host the Houston Rockets in their home opener at 8:30 p.m. ET, 30 minutes later than originally scheduled.

Tuesday's announcement did not cover a potential Game 6 on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Hawks are scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena that night.

The Dream and the Hawks, who are owned by separate groups, described the relocation in a joint statement as "a complex undertaking that required extraordinary collaboration to navigate numerous challenges in a short time period."

Reese arrived in Atlanta in an April 6 trade with the Chicago Sky. Chicago received the Dream's first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, and Atlanta got the right to swap second-round picks with the Sky in 2028.

In 43 regular-season games, she averaged 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. The scoring average was a career high. Her rebounding average led the league for the third straight season.

She finished with 521 rebounds, a WNBA single-season record. Her 206 offensive rebounds set another single-season mark, and so did her 32 double-doubles.

On Oct. 1, Reese was named Defensive Player of the Year with 46 of 74 votes. No Dream player had won the award before her. Golden State's Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes.

Reese went 4-of-15 from the field in Game 1 of the first round against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 27. She still finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, the first playoff double-double of her career.

Against New York, she averaged 20.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 2 steals on 47.7% shooting. In the 85-83 win that closed the series, Reese had 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Allisha Gray, who led Atlanta at 19 points per game during the regular season, played 11 minutes against the Liberty because of a hand injury. She is day-to-day after a hand procedure.

Atlanta went 30-14 in the regular season and is 5-0 in the playoffs after sweeping Washington and New York. This is the franchise's fourth Finals appearance and its first since 2013. The Dream were swept in each of the first three.

Golden State won all three regular-season meetings between the teams.

General public ticket sales for Games 3 and 4 open Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. ET through atlantadream.com.

Game 1 is Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco, on NBC and Peacock.