ESPN reports that the WNBA has unanimously approved the sale of the Atlanta Dream franchise to a three-person investment team, which includes former Dream player Renee Montgomery.
The change in ownership comes after pressure was levied upon former Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler to sell. Loeffler, who was unpopular with players due to her stance on racial justice issues lost her senate seat to Rev. Raphael Warnock in a run-off election on Jan. 5, 2021. The negotiations for the sale began shortly thereafter.
Montgomery, will be the first former player in WNBA history to be an owner and executive. She says she will be an active member of the leadership team along with the other investors. Real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener, who is majority owner and Suzanne Abair, president of Gottesdiener’s Northland Investment Corp. in Massachusetts round out the team.
“I’m going to be working with Suzanne and she’s going to lead the way,” Montgomery shared in the interview.
Montgomery began considering ownership when Lebron James tweeted about the possibility of such a thing.
“That tweet prompted my mind,” Montgomery said, adding she “started to figure out if that could become a real possibility.”
Montgomery says she was also inspired by James’ social activism, particularly his role in the More Than a Vote campaign that worked to increase Black voter turnout and reduce voter suppression in Black communities.
James lauded Montgomery’s new position as owner and tweeted: “So proud of this Queen. This is everything we are about!”
Montgomery sat out the 2020 season to focus on social justice issues and recently announced her retirement from the WNBA after 11 seasons. Montgomery won two WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2017. She was the WNBA’s sixth Woman of the Year in 2012 and set a career high average of 14.6 points per game as an All-Star with the Connecticut Sun in 2011.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Friday on Montgomery’s return to the WNBA as an owner, “I think it’s great that Renee has stepped up after she retired from playing the game to continue having an impact on the game. I’ve seen her strong work ethic. I’ve seen her advocacy and knowledge of the game and I’m sure that’s going to be an asset to Larry and Suzanne and a huge benefit to the team.”
Although Montgomery’s investment team members operate out of Massachusetts, the WNBA team will remain in Atlanta.
Montgomery hopes her new role will set a tone for Black women in sports ownership.
“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,”
Montgomery is in her first season as an analyst for Atlanta Hawks broadcasts for Fox Sports Southeast. She plans to continue in that position.
