The Atlanta Dream Were Officially Purchased By A Group Headlined By Renee Montgomery

After months of discussions, the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream have new owners. Amid a war of words with former minority owner Kelly Loeffler, who lost her Senate race in Georgia last month, the Dream had been very publicly on the block, and the league announced today that the team was purchased by recently-retired WNBA star Renee Montgomery along with two executives from a real estate firm in Massachusetts.

Montgomery, who played for the Dream in 2018 and 2019 before stepping away from the game in 2020, has grown her profile immensely over the past calendar year, becoming a major voice and leader in sports, culture, and activism. Now, she will gain the influence of becoming a team governor in the league where she won two WNBA titles.

“My Dream has come true,” Montgomery said in a statement. “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.”

In expressing support for the purchase, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called Montgomery a “trailblazer” and said she was “thrilled” that Montgomery was part of the group. LeBron James, who had been rumored to have interest in investing in the team himself, tweeted in praise of Montgomery’s involvement.

The other two investors involved in the purchase are Larry Gottesdiener and Suzanne Abair of Northland Investment Corporation, a real estate private equity firm that is based in Newton, Mass.