The Atlanta Dream want to set another franchise attendance record – and they are pulling out all the stops to do so.
The Dream will host the Indiana Fever on Monday. The Dream set a franchise attendance record with a State Farm Arena sold out crowd of 17,575 when they hosted the Fever, featuring rookie Caitlin Clark, earlier this season.
The team announced Wednesday that Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob will perform at halftime. Additionally, members of the 1996 USA Women’s Basketball Olympic Team will be in attendance to celebrate what is hoped to be another historic crowd in Atlanta.
“The atmosphere inside State Farm Arena earlier this season was electric, and we can’t wait to take it to the next level in front of a record-breaking audience,” Dream President and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in a statement. “Everything about the evening will celebrate ‘The A’ in ways only the Dream can, including the first-ever performance at a WNBA game by Atlanta’s own Goodie Mob at halftime. We are also honored to have members of the ‘96 Women’s Olympic Team back in Atlanta. Their historic run to a gold medal gave birth to modern professional women’s basketball, and the WNBA itself, so we can’t wait to pay tribute to their legacy.”
The 1996 USA Women’s Basketball Olympic Team won the gold medal in Atlanta, avenging their bronze medal finish during the previous Olympics. The team featured six Basketball Hall of Famers. Multiple members of the team, including Dawn Staley, Val Ackerman and Ruthie Bolton, are scheduled to be on hand to participate in the tribute.
The rematch between the Dream and the Fever will feature the last three No. 1 overall picks in the WNBA draft – Aliyah Boston and Clark (Fever) and Rhyne Howard (Dream), who missed the first matchup due to injury. The Dream lost the first meeting in Atlanta, 91-79, on June 21. That game was also moved to State Farm Arena from Gateway Center Arena to accommodate the large crowd. The Fever also won the first meeting between the teams, 91-84, in Indiana on June 13. They are also scheduled to play in Indiana on Sept. 8.
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster at dream.wnba.com and are expected to sell out, with limited number standing room only seats available. The game will be televised live on Gray TV’s CBS affiliate WANF (Atlanta News First), Peachtree TV (WPCH) and Peachtree Sports Network.
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