Making a WNBA Finals prediction isn’t exactly easy this year. Choosing between two teams with very different stories en route to their first championship is what makes the decision both difficult to make and interesting to hear out. Still, when USC’s women’s basketball team was asked about their 2026 WNBA championship predictions, one side clearly got most of the attention.

“Dream,” USC star JuJu Watkins said in an interview with Overtime posted to Instagram. She added that the Atlanta Dream would win “in five” after being asked how long the series would go.

Dream seemed to be the popular choice among her teammates as well, with 10 of the 12 players on the roster picking the Angel Reese-led squad. However, there were a few players with different opinions.

One of them was guard Jazzy Davidson, who thought Atlanta would take the trophy home, “but I hope the Valkyries” win the series instead. Another player who backed the Golden State Valkyries was forward Ryann Bennett, who “predict[ed] that the Valkyries are gonna win.”

Watkins, when asked about the key players in the series, highlighted Atlanta’s star duo of Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard, while her teammate also gave a shoutout to Jordin Canada. That trio has been extremely important for the team in the postseason, particularly in the semifinal series against the New York Liberty.

That series saw Allisha Gray, who led the team in scoring during both the regular season and the first round, be injured in Game 1 after playing just 11 minutes. However, each player logged solid stats, delivering signature moments across the series. Canada, in particular, went ballistic in that series, averaging 22.3 points on 62.2% from the floor and 61.5% from three-point range, along with 7.7 assists over three games.

Reese also stepped up her game, logging 20.7 points and 7.7 rebounds while also adding 2.0 steals and 2.3 blocks. Meanwhile, Howard managed 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while averaging over 40 minutes per game for the series.

But were the Dream so good that the Valkyries stand no chance against them?

WNBA Fans Question USC Stars’ Valkyries Predictions

Many WNBA fans, including Golden State’s supporters, were quick to push back against the idea that Atlanta would be the team to beat in the WNBA Finals.

One fan wrote, “Why are people sleeping on the Valks?”

They questioned the confidence in the Dream despite most of USC’s players backing Atlanta, despite Golden State’s strong postseason run, which included sweeping the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.

Another Valkyries fan singled out Davidson’s prediction.

Their comment read, “@jazzydavidson gonna come back to this video and say ‘TOLD YOU VALKS!'”

Davidson, who joined USC last season and won the Tamika Catchings Award, was singled out by many fans as being correct in her support of the Valkyries, earning a lot of support from Golden State fans.

Other comments took more playful turns as people tried to understand the widespread support of the Dream.

“They Reese fans ????,” one viewer wrote.

Like with Watkins, Reese is clearly someone whom the players admire, and that led some to believe it influenced their picks. Watkins and several others named Reese as a key player to watch during the matchup.

Meanwhile, one fan joked about the players being unfamiliar with the newer playoff format.

“These kids didn’t even know how many games are in the series????,” they wrote.

The WNBA Finals moved to a best-of-seven format starting last season, having been a best-of-five series before that. A couple of players momentarily struggled with their answer to this question because of that confusion.

Finally, one user focused on the USC roster betraying what they saw as a home-state camaraderie.

“What?! Going against your California sisters to the North? ????,” their comment read.

Since the Los Angeles Sparks aren’t in the playoffs, many expected the USC team to support the Valkyries, given that they both play in California. However, that didn’t seem to be the case, to the chagrin of this fan.

For now, the Valkyries lead the series after a 68-64 win over the Dream on Saturday, when Gabby Williams overshadowed all players with a 26-point game, which was nearly half of her rival’s total score.

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