Officiating controversy has been a recurring theme throughout the WNBA Finals, and Game 6 added another flashpoint to the debate. During Thursday’s matchup, some Golden State Valkyries fans took issue with an apparent no-call involving Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon and Valkyries guard Veronica Burton.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
One Valkyries fan page on X accused Hillmon of kicking Burton while she was on the floor and criticized officials for not stopping play.
“Hillmon just kicked Burton while she was on the ground. I’ve never seen a play that dirty before get completely ignored by everyone,” the fan page wrote.
The post surfaced while Game 6 was still ongoing and reflected the frustration felt by some Golden State supporters. At that point, the Dream were in complete control, leading 32-15 after the first quarter and 46-26 at halftime. That dominant start only added to the frustration among Valkyries fans upset with the alleged missed call.
Whether the play warranted a whistle or further review became a point of contention online, but the incident was far from the first officiating debate of the series.
Physical play has been one of the defining storylines of the Finals, with players, coaches, and fans from both teams questioning calls and no-calls throughout the matchup.
In Game 5, for example, Dream guard Allisha Gray took a hit to the head that knocked her goggles off, yet no foul was called on the play. The sequence prompted a frustrated reaction from Angel Reese, who voiced her displeasure over the lack of a whistle.
Similarly, Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase openly challenged officials during Game 4 after several physical sequences involving her players went uncalled. Her frustration eventually resulted in a technical foul during the third quarter.
Nakase later suggested that the physical nature of the series was hardly a surprise given what’s at stake and the defensive identities of both teams.
“It’s a Finals. This is it… Both teams really want to win this. And like you guys even said from the beginning of the Finals, this is two defensive-minded teams. So, what are two defensive-minded teams? They like physicality, so that’s part of it. You guys act like I’m shocked. I ain’t shocked about this,” Nakase said after the Valkyries’ Game 5 victory,” coach Nakase said.
The reaction to the Hillmon-Burton sequence is the latest example of how closely every whistle, and every perceived missed whistle, is being scrutinized during the Finals. With the championship hanging in the balance, officiating decisions continue to be a major talking point among both Dream and Valkyries supporters.