Zendaya has arrived at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday night. The Hollywood star has come for Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. The Golden State Valkyries are hosting the Atlanta Dream, and the series is tied 2-2. The Valkyries won Game 4, 67-62, to get home court back. Fans have been walking in wearing the purple shirts left on their seats, and Zendaya is one of them.

The two-time Emmy-winning actress has come home to the Bay Area to support the Valkyries. She has been sitting in the stands in the purple “Finals” T-shirt the team leaves on every seat. Cameras have caught her clapping and cheering with the fans around her.

This is her first Valkyries game. Her busy filming schedule is likely the reason she has not come before. She is not the only star who has shown up. Comedian Ali Wong and rappers Too Short, LaRussell and E-40 have also cheered on the team this season.

Tonight, the Oakland group En Vogue has been getting ready to play at halftime. Dinah Jane of Fifth Harmony is set to sing the national anthem.

For Zendaya, this night is about home. She is from Oakland, and she has shown that love before. In March, she was in Rome for the premiere of her movie “The Drama.” There, she told fans, “In Oakland, my favorite place to eat is Arizmendi.”

Her love for home goes beyond food. Last Friday, she went to a Folsom High School football game. Her nephew, EJ Coleman, starts at middle linebacker for the team.

She danced to “Wonderwall,” and fans came over to say hello. She hugged them and took a photo with the Folsom cheerleaders. Her nephew has made 42 tackles this season and has committed to play at Washington State.

Basketball has been part of her story too. In August 2023, she and her husband, actor Tom Holland, visited a school in Oakland. The event was with the nonprofit Hoopbus. Zendaya joked that she would not play because she “might twist an ankle.” She still threw a lob that actor Elvin Rodriguez put in the basket. Holland learned ball tricks from Harlem Globetrotters player Sam Diaz.

Tonight, Zendaya has been cheering for the Valkyries on her own. And on the floor, the game she came to see has been too close to call.

Valkyries And Dream Are Nearly Even In Game 5

Oddsmakers have called this a pick ’em, which means either team could win. The Valkyries have been listed as slight favorites at -112 on the moneyline. The Dream are at -104. The total has been set at 150.5 points. The winner will move one win from the title. Game 6 has been set for Thursday afternoon at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. If a Game 7 is needed, it will be in Golden State.

So what could tip it? The Valkyries have been playing with home court and a strong Game 4 behind them. Gabby Williams scored 17 points. Tiffany Hayes added 13 in the second half. The Dream turned the ball over 18 times, and the Valkyries scored 16 points off those turnovers.

The Dream have their own case. Four of their players have been averaging 10 or more points in the series. The Valkyries have two. The Dream have outscored Golden State in nine of the 16 quarters played. Their two wins came by 26 and 14 points. The Valkyries’ two wins came by 9 points combined.

Then there is Dream forward Angel Reese, who has been part of both stories. Valkyries player Kiah Stokes was on the floor in Game 4, and Reese scored just 8 points on 2-for-12 shooting. She had 21 points in Game 3. She said afterward, “I think it was me.”

Tonight, she has arrived in a black “Protect Black Women” T-shirt, black wide-leg pants and flip-flops. She has also been carrying Jordyn Woods’ lucky bag. Woods took it to the NBA Finals to support Karl-Anthony Towns when the Knicks beat the Spurs.

With the odds this close, either team can win Game 5 and move one win from the title.