Former Atlanta Dream Star Renee Montgomery Part Of Group That Bought Team From Controversial Owner Kelly Loeffler

Renee Montgomery, Kelly Loeffler

Former Atlanta Dream Star Renee Montgomery Part Of Group That Bought Team From Controversial Owner Kelly Loeffler

Renee Montgomery once hit the court for Atlanta’s WNBA team The Dream, now she’s a co-owner of it.

The WNBA announced Friday, Feb. 26th that Larry Gottesdiener, founder and co-chairman of Massachusetts real estate development firm Northland,  is now the primary owner of the team after purchasing it from Kelly Loeffler. It added that Northland’s president and COO Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery are also owners.

Renee Montgomery is now the first former player to an owner and executive of a WNBA team.

Interestingly enough, Renee Montgomery said she first thought about buying the team after a tweet from LeBron James. He said he wanted to get a group together to purchase the team from Kelly Loeffler after she lost her Senate seat earlier this year.

The WNBA union also called out Kelly Loeffler in a statement:

“It is our fervent wish that we shall never see again such an abuse of power and arrogant display of privilege. It is our hope that no one will ever again attempt to use the players for individual political gain or favor. Those actions were unbelievably selfish, reckless and dangerous. And those who would conduct themselves in that manner have absolutely no place in our sport. Because this was not our burden to bear or our problem to solve, this is our final statement on the matter.”

Kelly Loeffler received lots of backlash after she blasted the Black Lives Matter movement in the heat of protests against racial injustice last year.

In a letter she wrote to Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, Kelly Loeffler said,

“I adamantly oppose the Black Lives Matter political movement, which has advocated for the defunding of police, called for the removal of Jesus from churches and the disruption of the nuclear family structure, harbored anti-Semitic views, and promoted violence and destruction across the country. I believe it is totally misaligned with the values and goals of the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, where we support tolerance and inclusion…I am incredibly disappointed to read about efforts to insert a political platform into the league.”

“The truth is, we need less — not more politics in sports. In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote. And now more than ever, we should be united in our goal to remove politics from sports…Though I was not consulted about — nor do I agree with the League’s decision in this matter, I am proposing a common-sense recommendation to ensure we reflect the values of freedom and equality for all. I believe we should put an American flag on every jersey. Include it in our licensed apparel for players, coaches and fans.”

What are your thoughts on Renee Montgomery being a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream?