Valkyries Stars Urge Fans to Call Out Sick for Controversially Early WNBA Finals Game

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Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton on Oct. 26, 2026
Credit: Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Golden State Valkyries stars Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes told fans to “call in sick” on Thursday so they can watch Game 6 of the Finals at 12:30 p.m. ET
  • The potential championship-clinching game between the Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream was controversially scheduled midday due to arena complications
  • “Y’all know how to fake a cough,” Stokes joked

The Golden State Valkyries are encouraging their fans to get creative with their early Finals game.

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The WNBA announced that Game 6 between the Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 29, which means both team’s fans will be forced to tune in during the workday. For Golden State’s west coast-based supporters, the team could win their first-ever championship even earlier in the day, with the game starting at 9:30 a.m. PT.

To solve the workday dilemma, Valkyries stars Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton suggest calling in sick.

When asked by a reporter if they have a “message” for fans “about how to get on board” for Thursday’s game, which could see the Valkyries take home the WNBA championship, Burton, 26, said, “Yeah, call in sick. I recommend it.”

Kiah Stokes and Veronica Burton on Oct. 26, 2026
Credit: Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty

Stokes, 33, chimed in, “Y’all know how to fake a cough. Didn’t we all do that?”

Burton again encouraged fans to “call in sick” before complimenting the two-year-old Valkyries’ loyal fan base. “We’ve got the best fans in the league, so I’m sure they’ll be supporting us whatever time.”

Game 6’s scheduling difficulty stemmed from the Atlanta Dream wanting to play their Finals games at State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, instead of their regular arena, which only holds 3,500 fans.

The Dream and the Hawks were able to accommodate changes to the NBA team’s regular season schedule for Games 3 and 4 — including working around a sold-out Sombr concert — but the decision to move the game to the early afternoon hasn’t been popular with all fans.

Beyond disappointment from fans regarding tip-off time, ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne reported that a potential championship celebration might need to be moved to a practice court so that State Farm Arena can be turned over for the Hawks’ game that night.

Flavor Flav reacted to the early start time with an excused absence letter for fans signed by him as the “The World’s Greatest Hype Man,” shared in a post on X. The rapper captioned his post, “Thursday is a paid holiday. Because Flavor Flav said so.”

Read the original article on People

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