Who would have thought Terrell Owens would struggle to get a ticket to the WNBA Finals in his own backyard? Despite spending eight years in San Francisco, the former wide receiver couldn’t secure a seat for the big game.
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“I’m in San Francisco where I played for eight years,” Terrell Owens said on the Get To The Point Podcast. “Gave my heart, sweat, tears. I couldn’t get a ticket. I called my connections. Ironically, I go the night before. I find a restaurant to eat. I get there. I walk in and the first person I see, this tall dude, is Festus Ezeli.
I run into him. I’m like, yo, what are you doing here? I’m like, yo, I had an appointment here. I realized I extended my stay for the finals. I said, I’m solo. I just need one ticket. He’s like, all right, cool. He’s like, Chato Mate. What’s crazy is the name of the restaurant is called Chato Mate. Chato Mate, which means wait a second. That’s exactly what they made me do.”
The 2026 WNBA Finals Game 7 between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream took place at Chase Center in San Francisco. After Atlanta won Game 6 to force a deciding game, Owens decided to extend his stay in the Bay Area and try to attend. He hoped his eight seasons with the 49ers would help him get a ticket, but that did not work out.
Owens then reached out to people he knew, including former Warriors center Festus Ezeli, who played three seasons with the team and helped them win the 2015 NBA championship. Ezeli and other contacts tried to help by reaching out to the Valkyries organization. Owens was also added to a group chat with a team executive and another person who tried to arrange his entry.
Although his connections could not guarantee him a ticket, they did recognize his history with San Francisco and wanted to help him get into the game without paying.
“They don’t want me to pay,” Owens said. “You’re a star here. It’s like, let us find your ticket. So I just told him, I said, look, I know this is last minute. I said, I sprang this on you. I said, if I can make it, if you can find a ticket, cool. And he’s like, no, no, no. We want you to come. He’s like, yo, just give us the $3.30 to find your ticket. I’m still waiting.”
In the end, Owens could not secure a seat and had to watch the Finals matchup on television from the bar at the Omni Hotel in San Francisco.
Owens’ bond with San Francisco began in 1996 when the 49ers drafted him in the third round. During his time with the team, he became one of the NFL’s top wide receivers, finishing with 592 catches, 8,572 receiving yards, and 81 touchdowns before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004.
Owens last played in the NFL in 2010, ending his 15-season career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 49ers later inducted him into their Hall of Fame as its 28th member in 2019. He was honored at halftime of the team’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 22. Given his history with the city, failing to get a ticket to the Valkyries’ Finals game was especially disappointing.