UCLA Coach Cori Close Calls for WNBA Leadership to Match Attendance Surge

UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close urged WNBA ownership groups and planning committees to align their strategic operations with the league’s surging attendance and viewership. She made these remarks during UCLA’s preseason media day on Tuesday morning, ahead of her team’s season opener against Lehigh on Monday.

The comments followed a scheduling conflict for Game 6 of the WNBA Finals. The Golden State Valkyries lead the Atlanta Dream 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. PT on Thursday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. That time slot overlaps with an NBA game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is the second game of a back-to-back set for the Hawks.

The venue change underscores the scale of the WNBA’s current postseason. The Dream typically play regular-season home games at the Gateway Center, which seats approximately 3,500 people. For the playoffs, they moved to State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, which holds roughly 17,000 fans.

Close stated that she hoped the ownership groups and advance planning would match the soar in corporate sponsorship, attendance, and viewership. She noted that the league had its most popular season in a generation and its most watched since 2000. According to the Sports Business Journal, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports, the WNBA averaged 771,000 viewers per game. Close said, “I hope that as the incredible work of the WNBA attendance, corporate sponsorship and viewership continues to soar, that the ownership groups and the planning in advance will match that soar.”

The series features two former Bruins, adding a layer of connection for UCLA. Golden State coach Natalie Nakase was a walk-on point guard for the Bruins and graduated in 2002. Dream guard Jordin Canada, who is averaging 14.9 points and 7.8 assists per game, played for Close from 2014 to 2018. Close acknowledged that the scheduling issue exposed a gap in anticipation, saying, “I think it got exposed that it didn’t match this time.”

UCLA enters the season as the 11th-ranked team in the country while defending its national title. Six players from the championship roster were selected in April’s WNBA draft. Five of those players were first-round picks: Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic went to the Washington Mystics, Gabriela Jacquez to the Chicago Sky, Kiki Rice to the Toronto Tempo, and Gianna Kneepkens to the Connecticut Sun. Charlisse Leger-Walker was drafted in the second round by the Sun.

Close also addressed officiating, specifically referencing criticisms of Game 5. Dream coach Dean Smesko and star forward Angel Reese voiced frustrations over physical contact that resulted in no-calls during a 64-55 loss to the Valkyries on Monday night in San Francisco. Close said, “But to take advantage of the incredible movement we are seeing within our game, the officiating has to rise with it.”

The Golden State Valkyries have the opportunity to win their first WNBA title in the franchise’s second year. The Atlanta Dream are competing for a championship in a series that has drawn intense scrutiny for its administrative and on-court management. Close emphasized that the administrative side must grow alongside the teams on the floor during this period of increased interest.