Charles Barkley's Friday Fix for Absurd WNBA Finals Schedule Has a Catch

Charles Barkley believes Game 6 of the WNBA Finals should have been moved to Friday, but that solution isn't so simple.

Charles Barkley makes a face at fans during the preview round of the American Century Championship on July 9, 2026. | IMAGO/Icon Sportswire

One of the biggest storylines throughout the WNBA Finals has not been about what's happening on the court between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream.

Instead, it has been about where these games are being played, and when they're taking place.

The Dream's obstacles in getting Finals games inside State Farm Arena have been well-documented. They managed to overcome obstacles again for Game 6 on Thursday, but with the caveat that the game tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. in the Valkyries' time zone) because the Atlanta Hawks have a game at the arena on Thursday night.

NBA legend and current on-air analyst Charles Barkley joined Candace Parker on Wednesday's "Post Moves" podcast episode and gave his advice on how the WNBA should have handled this Game 6 schedule issue.

"Well, I think they should just move the game [back] a couple days. Here or there, [it] ain't going to matter. If they move the game a day back, I don't think that matters, to be honest with you... Move the game back a day!" Barkley said.

Charles Barkley's Simple WNBA Finals Schedule Fix Faces Major Hurdle

Barkley's suggestion that Game 6 should simply get moved back a day to Friday (because instead of being on Thursday morning makes a lot of sense on the surface, given that State Farm Arena is available on Friday.

This was also something the WNBA considered before ultimately settling on the Thursday matinee timing. But their reasoning for choosing Thursday morning instead of Friday shows why Barkley's proposed plan isn't perfect and ultimately wasn't what they went with.

Moving Game 6 to Friday would have also meant moving a potential Game 7 (scheduled for the Valkyries' Chase Center arena), which is slated for Saturday, October 31, because back-to-back games would have been out of the question.

The earliest date Game 7 could have happened was Tuesday, November 3, since the Golden State Warriors play games at Chase Center on November 1 and November 2.

The Valkyries expressed concerns about moving two WNBA Finals games and having a three-day break between Game 6 and Game 7. And since the league wanted both teams to approve this change, their hesitation led to the Thursday morning shift instead of moving it back to Friday.

There's still a strong case to be made that moving Game 6 to Friday and moving a potential Game 7 to Tuesday was the best outcome. It would have given Game 6 a primetime slot instead of a random time on Thursday, and would have meant Game 7 could be moved off Halloween, which will most likely impact ratings.

Plus, Game 7 isn't even guaranteed, as that might become a non-issue if Golden State wins on Thursday.

But none of this matters now, as the WNBA has already made up its mind.