Renee Montgomery is now a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream
On Friday (Feb. 26), the WNBA approved the sale of the team to a three-member ownership.
Former WNBA player Renee Montgomery is now a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream.
On Friday (Feb. 26), the WNBA approved the sale of the team to a three-member ownership that also includes estate investor Larry Gottesdiener and Northland president and COO Suzanne Abair. “My dream has come true,” the two-time WNBA champion said. “Breaking barriers for minorities and women by being the first former WNBA player to have both a stake in ownership and a leadership role with the team is an opportunity that I take very seriously. I invite you to join me as the Dream builds momentum in Atlanta!”
The team was previously owned by Mary Brock and former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler — who received a lot of backlash after she criticized the league’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Last year, she wrote a letter to commissioner Cathy Engelbert opposing the WNBA’s plans to include and encourage the movement.
“There is no room for racism in this country. We cannot have it,” Loeffler said last summer. “But there is an organization, different from the saying, an organization called Black Lives Matter founded on Marxist principles. Marxism supports socialism.”
Montgomery is now the first former player to become both an executive and owner of a WNBA team. She opted out of the 2020 season to focus on social justice issues and recently announced her retirement from the league after playing for 11 seasons.
“With the unanimous WNBA and NBA votes, today marks a new beginning for the Atlanta Dream organization and we are very pleased to welcome Larry Gottesdiener and Suzanne Abair to the WNBA,” Engelbert said in a statement.
She continued, “I admire their passion for women’s basketball, but more importantly, have been impressed with their values. I am also thrilled that former WNBA star Renee Montgomery will be joining the ownership group as an investor and executive for the team. Renee is a trailblazer who has made a major impact both in the game and beyond.”
Congrats to Renee Montgomery!