Barack Obama and Donald Trump had very different reactions to WNBA Finals

USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe 2026 WNBA Finals delivered one of the most dramatic series in league history, with the Golden State Valkyries beating the Atlanta Dream in the first Game 7 in Finals history. Not everyone was a fan, though.Two presidents weighed in on the series, and their reactions couldn’t have been more different. While President Donald Trump called for fans to stop watching the league, former President Barack Obama celebrated the new champions.Valkyries Win First TitleThe Valkyries beat the Dream 68-63 at Chase Center, known to fans as Ballhalla, on Saturday night. Gabby Williams scored 30 points, including 28 in the second half, and was named Finals MVP.Golden State became just the third team across the NBA, BAA, and WNBA to win a title within its first two seasons, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. The Valkyries also became the first champion without a single All-WNBA selection that season.“All we heard last year, ‘We don’t have no stars, we don’t have no talent.’ Yeah, right,” Williams told the USA Network broadcast. “We’ve got good people. We’ve got winners.”Very Different ResponsesThe series also drew attention for what happened before tipoff. Both teams left the court for the national anthem before every game, a pregame routine that many WNBA teams have followed for years.That drew criticism from conservatives, including Trump. At a rally in Iowa, Trump took aim at the league in the middle of the series.“By the way, what’s going on with the women’s NBA? What’s that all about?” Trump said, via ESPN. “You know, they’ll destroy themselves before they get started, because they just started to do good.”Trump went on to call for fans to boycott the league, comparing the situation to the NFL’s anthem controversy. But players on both teams brushed off the criticism, saying that they were focused on the Finals.Obama, meanwhile, had nothing but praise for the new champs after Game 7.“Congrats to the new WNBA champs, the @Valkyries! Ballhalla was rocking all season, and this team was fun to watch. Enjoy the celebration,” Obama wrote on X.Two Very Different HistoriesThe two presidents’ reactions are in line with their history with the league, as Obama has a long history of supporting the WNBA and Trump hasn’t exactly embraced the league.In 2010, Obama became the first sitting president to attend a WNBA game when he and his daughter, Sasha, sat courtside for a Washington Mystics game, and he hosted many WNBA champions at the White House during his presidency.When the Indiana Fever visited in 2013, Obama praised the team for serving as role models for young players like Sasha.“For her to have wonderful role models like this who work hard, that’s the kind of models you want for your children,” Obama said, via CBS News.He has continued to celebrate WNBA champions since leaving office. After the Washington Mystics won the 2019 title, he joked on social media that “this title thing might become a habit in D.C.,” according to WUSA9. In 2021, he called the Chicago Sky to congratulate them on their title.Obama also hasn’t shied away from the players’ activism. After the Seattle Storm won the 2020 title, in the same season that WNBA teams began leaving the court for the national anthem, he praised players for their off-court work.“Proud of all the NBA and WNBA teams and players who’ve been using their platforms to take a stand for racial justice and encourage civic participation this season,” Obama wrote, via Black Enterprise.In July, Obama surprised the WNBA All-Stars at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, the first time a professional league had used the center’s new basketball court.“Some of you I’m meeting for the first time. All of you are extraordinary and I could not be bigger fans,” Obama told the players, via the Associated Press. “The way the game has been growing lately, the way it’s been picking up and people paying attention to your excellence, I think it’s been something for basketball fans, generally, a sight to see. It’s been making me happy.”Trump, meanwhile, has never hosted a WNBA team at the White House. After the Las Vegas Aces won the 2025 WNBA title, the team never received an invitation to the White House, a team spokesperson told USA Today in June. Trump has also never attended a WNBA game, despite appearances at NFL, college football, NASCAR, UFC, NBA, and other sporting events throughout his presidency.The post Barack Obama and Donald Trump had very different reactions to WNBA Finals appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.