On the Cusp of History, the Atlanta Dream Are Scrambling to Solve One Bad-Luck Problem

So much has gone right for the Atlanta Dream within the last half-decade for them to reach the WNBA Finals. The Dream hit on their draft picks, Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon, back in ‘22, traded for current top scorer Allisha Gray a year later, acquired Jordin Canada the year after and then brought on head coach Karl Smesko to lead their new-look roster. Not to mention, their blockbuster Angel Reese deal that ages better every day.

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So perhaps it was just a matter of time until the Dream ran into an inconvenient dilemma, one that they couldn’t have seen coming.

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The Dream are in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. It’s a big deal for any franchise, but especially for one seeking its maiden title. Atlanta is set to face the Valkyries in the best-of-seven series, and Golden State will host the first two games at its famed “Ballhalla” arena, which seats over 18,000 fans.

As for the Dream, well, they’re in a bit of a scheduling pickle. When the series returns to Atlanta, they’re scheduled to host Games 3 and 4 (and 6, if necessary), on Oct. 22, 24 and 29. The team has played a handful of regular-season games and all three of their home playoff games so far in State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, as opposed to their home since 2021, Gateway Center Arena at College Park. State Farm Arena holds 17,044 fans; Gateway Center Arena only holds 3,500, and is the smallest arena in the WNBA.

State Farm Arena will be the Dream’s full-time residence starting next season, with Atlanta having outgrown its former venue amid its title-contending campaign (the Dream have averaged roughly 7,000 fans per game this year). But with the WNBA Finals set to tip off in less than a week’s time, State Farm Arena is, tragically, booked.

Pop artist Sombr has a concert there on Oct. 22, which clashes with Game 3. The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks are hosting their two regular season games on Oct. 24 and 29, which clash with Games 4 and 6.

The Dream’s ideal home venue, State Farm Arena, is booked for the WNBA Finals. Now what?

State Farm Arena is owned by the Atlanta Fulton Country Recreation Authority but operated by the Hawks’ franchise, whose team has played there since it opened in 1999. Dream president and chief operating officer Morgan Shaw Parker said Atlanta was still “finalizing details on their home venue and where we will be playing” for the Finals, according to ESPN.

At the time of this writing, the Dream have not announced whether they have secured a larger facility. Time is running out, with the team at risk of losing out on ticket sales and home-court atmosphere if it were to host its Finals games at its comparatively diminutive Gateway Center Arena. (If so, it would be the smallest arena to host a WNBA Finals in the past decade, not counting the “Wubble” season during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

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It’s a rather inconvenient problem to have for the Dream, and a potential morale-deflating one. While the Valks will be hooping at Chase Center, their regularly sold-out gladiator grounds that are so beloved they’ve even earned their own nickname, Atlanta’s home advantage currently doesn’t feel very much like one. They could still work out something with the Hawks, though it doesn’t seem to be as easy as just telling the NBA-ers to find a different venue. The Hawks’ home opener against the Rockets overlaps with the Dream’s Game 4 on Oct. 24, and despite the enormity of the WNBA Finals, the Hawks appear to get first dibs on the arena that principal owner Tony Ressler operates and manages.

As for other options, the Dream have reportedly checked in on the Gas South Arena, home of Atlanta’s minor league hockey Gladiators, as well as McCamish Pavilion, the on-campus home of Georgia Tech, per Stephanie Apstein of the Washington Post. Both those nearby venues hold significantly more fans than Gateway Center Arena (13,000 and 8,600 seats, respectively).

The last time the Dream reached the WNBA Finals in 2013, the team actually hosted its sole home game, Game 3, at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga. (which was dubbed the Gwinnett Center back then). Atlanta was swept, 3-0, by the Lynx that series. The Dream also played at McCamish Pavilion back in 2017 and ‘18 during State Farm Arena’s renovations, so there is at least some degree of familiarity to both venues.

In light of State Farm Arena’s overlapping dates with the WNBA Finals, the Dream have a tough decision to make. Downsize to its season-long home venue for the sake of maintaining consistency and tradition, or play somewhere the team hasn’t played at all this year for the increased ticket sales along with premium suites and seating.

Or, somehow broker a deal with the Hawks’ ownership group to move the NBA franchise’s regular season games elsewhere, and request to relocate Sombr’s concert, too. The Dream had better start making some calls.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as On the Cusp of History, the Atlanta Dream Are Scrambling to Solve One Bad-Luck Problem.

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This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 11:50 AM.