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Valkyries to host 1st playoff game at SAP Center due to scheduling conflict at Chase Center

By
Tim Fang
Digital News Producer, CBS Bay Area
Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for more than two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.
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Tim Fang

/ CBS San Francisco

While the Golden State Valkyries became the first WNBA expansion team to clinch a playoff berth in its first season, the team's first home playoff game will not be held at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The first-round game, which would take place on either Sep. 16 or 17, would be held at the SAP Center in San Jose, home to the Sharks NHL team.

Team officials said the Chase Center is unavailable as the arena is preparing to host the Laver Cup international tennis tournament, scheduled for Sep. 19 to 21. Cities , and the tournament was booked in 2023, before the Bay Area was awarded a WNBA franchise.

In a statement, the team said it "explored every possible option" to host the game at Chase Center. Oakland Arena, the longtime home of the co-owned Golden State Warriors, was also unavailable due to an event.

"While we would have loved to host our first playoff game at Chase Center and sought every opportunity to try and make that happen, Ballhalla has never been about just one building - it's about the incredible community our fans have created," Valkyries team president Jess Smith said. "We're confident that same energy will translate to San Jose."

Team co-chairman and CEO Joe Lacob said, "Our fans have been the heart of our success this year, selling out every game and creating an electric atmosphere. They've earned the right to see playoff basketball, and we're going to make sure SAP Center feels like home for them."

The Valkyries clinched their first-ever playoff spot with a win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday night. Based on current seeding, the Valkyries would travel for Game 1 of a best-of-three series against a higher-seeded team, host Game 2, and travel for a deciding Game 3, if necessary.  

The scheduling conflict is not the first involving WNBA teams, which has become a source of frustration among fans. According to , the Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks have had playoff games in recent years moved to other arenas due to events occurring at their home venues.

In Bay Area sports, perhaps the most famous scheduling conflict involves the Warriors, who were forced to play the 1975 NBA Finals at the Cow Palace , a traveling skating show. The Warriors went on to win the finals, their last championship before 2015.

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