'Everybody Pulled Up,' 'Brought the Whole City' — Fans React As Ex-ESPN Stars Cam Newton, Ryan Clark Watch Angel Reese's Dream Win WNBA Finals Game 3 Saino Zachariah Thu, October 22, 2026 at 11:15 AM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream brought the WNBA Finals home on Wednesday night, and a sold-out State Farm Arena watched them beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
However, the score was only half of what had people talking. The people in the crowd also caught fans' attention.
Game 3 was originally scheduled for Thursday at Gateway Center Arena, where the Dream play most of their home games. Instead, the league worked with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena to stage Games 3 and 4 there. That swapped a 3,500-seat venue for one that holds more than 17,000 fans.
Game 3 was sold out , and so is Saturday's Game 4 , too.
The Game 3 crowd included many celebrities, including representatives from the NFL world: Cam Newton, Ryan Clark, Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr and Falcons cornerbacks A.J. Terrell and Avieon Terrell were also among those in attendance.
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After the game, Clark posted on X, praising Reese. "Angel Reese is HER! Period," he wrote . "No need to elaborate and give reasoning!"
The Athletic shared a courtside video from the night with the caption : "The stars showed out in ATL." Atlanta reporter Zach Klein also posted a list of other celebrities that were in the house on the big night.
The star-studded crowd included Atlanta rap icons Ludacris, T.I., 2 Chainz, Quavo and Lil Baby, along with actor Chris Tucker and actress Kerry Washington. Former NBA star Allen Iverson, LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, and former NBA guard Lou Williams were also present.
Two fans in the replies zeroed in on the crowd. "Brought the whole city out," one fan replied .
Another fan wrote , "This game was the spot tonight. Everybody pulled up."
Another fan gave Reese the credit for the star-studded guest list: "One thing Angel gonna do is have the Stars out."
Reese did her part on the floor. Two days after putting up 30 points and 16 rebounds in Game 2, she finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Rhyne Howard added 16 points and Naz Hillmon scored 15.
With the game tied at 49 in the third quarter, Atlanta scored eight straight points, four of them from Reese. Across the three games, the Dream have now outscored Golden State 63-35 in the third quarter.
Another fan called the presence of stars at the game as "The Angel Reese-effect."
Another fan wrote , "But I thought nobody was watching lol [expletive]."
Is there anything to that? The Finals' viewership so far may explain that.
Game 1 in San Francisco aired on NBC, with the Finals back on the network for the first time in 24 years. It averaged 2.1 million viewers across NBC's TV and streaming, making it the most-watched Game 1 of a Finals series, according to Sports Media Watch.
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The opener peaked at 3.0 million viewers. It also finished 11% above the previous Game 1 high of 1.9 million, set by last year's Mercury-Aces opener on ESPN.
Among Finals games in the past 25 years, only the winner-take-all Lynx-Liberty Game 5 in 2024 drew more, with 2.15 million. The opener was the 13th WNBA game this season to top 2 million viewers, and the first of those without Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. Game 2, which aired on USA Network, averaged 1.33 million viewers.
One fan brought the Falcons into it with a complaint about tight end Pitts: "Kyle Pitts wearing a Dodgers hat makes me sick to my stomach. C'mon man, you don't see the Braves players wearing saints jerseys."
Reese made a trip into Falcons territory earlier this season. On Oct. 11, she went to Atlanta's Week 5 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Dream teammates Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada. She grew up in Maryland and has long shown her support for the Ravens.
The Falcons still welcomed Reese and her teammates after the Dream had just swept the New York Liberty in the semifinals. Baltimore won that night 30-23 in overtime.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
Source: Sports
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