The Sephora Performance Center was bustling on Friday morning. Any nook or cranny not occupied by the practice courts squished dozens of reporters with notebooks, microphones and television cameras all navigating a train of tables filled with Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries players, ready to talk about the WNBA Finals at media day.
One WNBA official estimated that there would be more media at this Finals than any other the league has hosted in its 30-year existence - perhaps more than the Finals matchup in 2024 between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty as the latter became champions playing in the country's biggest media market.
This says a lot about how far the WNBA has come over the past few years. Finally, the stage is as big and bright as the stakes deserve.
The two teams involved have something to do with the hype, too.
The Valkyries sold out every night at Ballhalla since their inception in 2025 and saw many violet-clad fans follow them on the road as they dominated the league with defense this year.
The Atlanta Dream went big, trading for superstar Angel Reese in the offseason and met the moment, earning their first Finals berth since 2013.
With dozens of microphones pointed and camera lights blaring her way, Reese calmly handed a Chanel purse to a Dream official and sat down with her arms crossed on the table, showing off a tattoo that reads "unapologetic" inked along her right arm.
This is the biggest moment yet for Reese in her young WNBA career, but she's been a star for years. In 2023, she became a central figure in women's basketball when she led Louisiana State University to its first NCAA championship, toppling Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.
She's been thrust under bright lights when her celebration - pointing at her ring finger, gesturing that Clark didn't faze her - became central to a debate that has gripped women's basketball since. She has embraced her celebrity and that conversation.
"I haven't really been able to reflect," Reese said. "I think my journey definitely speaks for itself. I mean, a year ago yesterday, I was walking in Victoria's Secret (fashion show) for the first time ever. Now, a year later, I'm on the biggest stage and being able to be in the Finals."
The attention spreads a little differently on this Valkyries team. Gabby Williams has emerged as the bucket-getter, the best defender on the best defense, and therefore the star for a very popular team.
But Golden State's crew is largely a band of misfits and castoffs who all serve a purpose and whom the Bay Area has learned to love as a collective. The Valkyries' depth may be what wins them the Finals, and it's also what binds them.
With a full week between Game 3 of the semis and Game 1 of the Finals, the Valkyries made sure to enjoy the time between practices. On Thursday, the entire team saw comedian Laura Ramoso at the SF Masonic Auditorium. Ramoso delivers her jokes in Italian, English, French and even a little German - perfect for the multilingual Valkyries.
"I didn't know what to expect, but she was hilarious," forward Kaila Charles said. "She did a lot of European-based jokes because she's half German, half Italian. So it was kind of funny because it reminded me of living overseas, and then (Italian-born Cecilia Zandalasini) loved it. She did French, everything. So it was a little mix for everybody."
It isn't out of the norm for the Valkyries to hang out with each other off the court. They all hang out at each other's apartments and have dinners at Williams' house.
"Like, we genuinely enjoy our presence on and off the court," Charles said. "Things have been going really fast, and especially when things end, people are gonna have to go to their different (non-WNBA) teams or go home. So we're trying to just intentionally get every moment we can with each other."
Following a scary collapse in Game 3 against Dallas, head coach Natalie Nakase has been sure to make time for herself - primarily to eat and sleep. But this full week off before the Finals meant Nakase got to stick with something she knows and loves.
"Film is my therapy. Basketball is my therapy, so it works hand in hand," she said. "More time gave us more detailed game planning and organization because I feel, yes, we have to play the hardest four quarters of our lives, but we also have to be the smartest."
Nakase did find time between film and sleep to take her coaching staff to a wellness spa nearby.
"We did a sauna, cold plunge, and really bonded in those moments too," she said. "Because we understand valuing our mental and physical health is really important. The way we pour into our players as we coach."
The anticipation is stewing and the long wait finally ends on Saturday afternoon for Game 1. The Finals broadcasts are up against some healthy competition, too.
The San Francisco 49ers face the Washington Commanders on "Monday Night Football" during Game 2 of the Finals, and MLB's World Series coincides with the WNBA's championship round as well. Any potential Game 7 would fall on Halloween for both MLB and the WNBA.
If Friday's fracas is any indication, the Valkyries and Dream series will be can't-miss basketball.
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Valkyries-Dream matchup draws a crowd at WNBA Finals media day.