Dawn Staley’s WNBA Finals pick is coming down not to how the Valkyries and the Dream are playing, but rather to a shared past. With the series poised at 2-1 in favour of Atlanta, the Gamecocks head coach’s words signaled her difficulty in picking a side. While she is hoping for a Game 7, she holds a unique position in this WNBA Finals, one where every outcome feels like a win.
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“It’s great. I had to play both ends because when L.A. won the first game, I’m just like, ‘Hey, still a game’ until the Atlanta team stole Game 2,” Staley said when Matt Dowell asked about watching four of her players competing at the highest stage in the WNBA. “Then I tell L.A. to bounce back after Game 2. And then they really have to win on Saturday afternoon in order for them, I think, to give themselves a better chance to get to Game 7.
By L.A., she means the Golden State Valkyries.
“But it’s cool. We’re in a win-win situation, where no matter who wins, we win as Gamecocks,” she added.
Allisha Gray, Madina Okot, and Te-Hina Paopao from the Dream and Laeticia Amihere from the Valkyries playing in the Finals are alumni of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Gray played her final two years of college under Staley at South Carolina. She was part of the national title-winning team in 2017. Okot played her junior year at Mississippi State before joining the Gamecocks in her senior year last year. The Dream made her their 13th overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, making her the first Kenyan-born player selected in the first round.
Paopao also played her final two years at South Carolina, graduating in 2024. The Dream selected her in the second round, 18th overall, in 2025. She was part of the 2024 Gamecocks that defeated Caitlin Clark to win the national title.
Amihere is the only player in the 2026 Finals who played all of her college years at USC. She was drafted by the Dream 8th overall in 2023 before being acquired by the Valkyries. She was part of the South Carolina team with Boston that won the national title in 2022.
No matter which team wins the Finals, Staley will have someone at the championship parade to represent her Gamecocks.
Staley’s answer comes at a time when the Gamecocks are eyeing another championship title, first since their 2024 championship. They lost to UCLA in last season’s championship game. South Carolina will play its second exhibition game on Friday against Benedict College at Colonial Life Arena.
Staley’s answer differs from Geno Auriemma, who was posed with a similar question when the Valkyries and the Dallas Wings faced each other in the first round. The Wings had Paige Bueckers and an injured Azzi Fudd representing UConn against the Valkyries with four former Huskies. When the UConn head coach was asked which team he was supporting, he backed his answer with simple math.
“Somebody said, ‘Hey, you know, you’re rooting for Paige.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not. I’m rooting for Golden State.’ (They have) four to (Dallas’) one and a half (Huskies) because Azzi didn’t play,” Auriemma said.
But so far, it seems like the Dream will ultimately emerge as the winner of the Finals. The Valkyries stole Game 1 from Atlanta in the last two minutes. After leading the game for 79% of the time, the Dream lost the contest 68-64.
Since then, it has all been Atlanta, riding high behind Angel Reese. The Dream responded in Game 2 with a dominant 79-65 win in San Francisco. Reese led her team with 30 points and 16 rebounds. The Dream humiliated the Valkyries in Game 3, recording a 97-71 win in front of their 17,000+ home fans. Reese again led them with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Both teams will face each other in Game 4 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24.