October 19, 2026
“30 years into the W, and here we are, celebrating not only that, but celebrating with new partners, celebrating with the growth, a lot of different and new fans that have entered the arena." - Tamika Catchings
“Give her Defensive Player of the Postseason. Is that a new thing we can do, a DPOP? I mean, what she did on A’ja...they are not in the Finals without her.”- Elle Duncan on Valkyries center Kiah Stokes
USA Sports Presents Live Coverage of WNBA Finals Games 2-3 and 5-7 (If Necessary) on USA Network; Pregame Coverage Begins at 7 p.m. ET, Games Tip Off at 8 p.m. ET; All WNBA Playoff Games on USA Network Simulcast Live on CNBC
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 16, 2026 – Ahead of the 2026 WNBA Finals, USA Sports WNBA commentators Elle Duncan (host) Tamika Catchings (analyst) and Kate Scott (play-by-play) previewed the Atlanta Dream-Golden State Valkyries matchup and USA Sports’ coverage on a media zoom call.
USA Sports’ inaugural season of WNBA coverage culminates with the 2026 WNBA Finals, as USA Network presents live coverage of Games 2-3 and 5-7 (if necessary), with any Finals series longer than a sweep ensuring that the 2026 WNBA champion will be determined on USA Network. Click here for more details on USA Sports’ WNBA Finals coverage, which begins Monday, Oct. 19, with Game 2.
Below are highlights from the call. Click here for the full transcript:
Scott on the Dream-Valkyries matchup: “This is everything I think you could want in a championship, right? Two teams, peaking at the perfect time that are going to meet at the summit and fight over who gets to plant the flag, right? … The fact that this is our first year covering the league, and we're going to have the honor and the opportunity to crown a first-time champion. It feels really special.”
Catchings on what the series can ultimately come down to: “I think it'll be the depth. Everybody being available to play, you know, one of the biggest compliments that I felt like the Aces talked about with Golden State was they just kept throwing players at them… I think (Kiah Stokes) is gonna be a pivotal player for Golden State, and I think Angel Reese is gonna be pivotal, and both of them staying out of foul trouble and being on the court.”
Duncan: “They're both defensive-minded teams. They both love to shoot threes, like all those things. I think it could come down to the bench. You've got the Sixth Player of the Year coming off the bench, right, in Janelle Salaun, but then you've got the pedigree and the veteran leadership of DeWanna Bonner on the other side. So I do think that ultimately some of these games are going to be decided by who gets more production from their second unit.”
Catchings on Valkyries center Kiah Stokes: “When I look at Kiah Stokes specifically, I'd say she's probably one of, when we talk about her in general, one of the more undervalued players. We need to be giving her more props…What I've loved is I've loved watching her evolve as a player, because before, it was like, okay, well, ‘Kiah Stokes, she can't really shoot, you know, mainly around the basket, she’s your defender, right?’ Now she's stepping up, she's knocking down threes. So she's able to do it offensively, which she hasn't before. She's expanded her game.”
Duncan on Stokes: “Give her Defensive Player of the Postseason. Is that a new thing we can do, a DPOP? I mean, what she did on A’ja, like they are not in the Finals without her.”
Scott on the Dream and Valkyries representing their cities: “I expect the Bay to be utter madness throughout the Finals, and I expect Atlanta to be the same…I feel as if the Valks and the Dream are both so representative of their cities. They see themselves in their fans, and the fans see themselves in their players and coaches. So the love and care and passion just grows that much more.”
Duncan on her studio teammate Chamique Holdsclaw: “She's so centered and just grounded, and she's inquisitive, and she asks questions, and you would think being that she's an OG and one of the best to ever do it, she's just so open to being like - she looked at me right away and was like, ‘I'm a rookie, Elle, help me, tell me what I need.’ She was really, really, really adamant that she wanted to be good at this, and she grew so much in this space over the course of the year.
When I tell you spending time with her and Renee (Montgomery) for hours on end has been super special. She is an amazing woman who has so much conviction and uses her platform in every possible way to shine light on a lot of different topics and places that need it. She's a one-of-one, there's a reason she's one of the GOATs.”
Catchings on the 30th year of the WNBA and the WNBA Finals: “The evolution of what you see is obviously more fans, more eyes this year, you know, more network partners, us being one that come on board. You've seen the growth of the game, the interest that has come. Along the journey, I mean, 30 years into the W, and here we are, celebrating not only that, but celebrating with new partners, celebrating with the growth, a lot of different and new fans that have entered the arena. So I think, for me, from a personal standpoint, if I had to put myself in their shoes, the same principle would apply. You focus on the game, you focus on the huddles, you focus on what the task is at hand.”
-USA SPORTS-
