WNBA anthem controversy sparks calls to bar players who don't stand from Team USA's Olympic roster

The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the court for the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals. Now Riley Gaines is arguing that those decisions should carry consequences when athletes seek to represent the United States internationally.

Gaines initially weighed in while sharing OutKicks video of the Game 2 anthem absence.

"Its my personal opinion that if you kneel for the flag and what it represents, you shouldnt be able to represent the USA at the Olympics," Gaines wrote on X.

In a statement to OutKick, Gaines expanded her argument to players who leave the court to avoid the anthem.

"The American flag and our national anthem do not represent whichever political party or administration happens to be in power. They represent the American people, our shared identity, the freedoms we enjoy, and the generations of men and women who fought, sacrificed and died to preserve those freedoms," Gaines said.

"Players who leave the court specifically to avoid the national anthem are making a deliberate statement. They are free to do so, of course. Free speech includes the freedom to withhold respect."

"But Im of the mind that choice has consequences when the same athletes later seek the honor of representing the United States on the international stage."

Neither Finals team nor the WNBA has answered OutKicks questions about the anthem absences. Nor has the NBA, whose commissioner, Adam Silver, is helping lead the search for the WNBAs next commissioner.

NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING NATIONAL ANTHEM IN GAMES 1 AND 2

Gaines said patriotism does not require blind allegiance to a political party or pretending America is without flaws. But she argued that athletes seeking to represent the country should be judged on how they treat its anthem.

"If an athlete treats standing for the anthem as optional or objectionable during the WNBA season, it is reasonable to question whether they are prepared to accept the full weight of representing the country when the spotlight is global," she said.

Former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones called Tuesday for players from both teams to lose their eligibility to represent the United States in Olympic basketball.

Jones wrote that those players "should be ineligible to play on the U.S. Womens Olympic Basketball Team."

Reese and Howard were both named to Team USAs 2026 Womens World Cup roster. The Dream announced their selections in August, noting that they became the first two players in franchise history selected together for the United States at a five-on-five Womens World Cup or Olympics.

Golden State had no players on that U.S. World Cup roster, but Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase served as a U.S. assistant coach. Golden State star Gabby Williams