Renee Montgomery, along with two others, officially bought the Atlanta Dream on Friday – something that would not have been possible without LeBron James and his More Than A Vote campaign.
James and his organization, Montgomery credited, was what connected her to the right people to fulfill her dream of making the transition from star team player to team owner.
LeBron James helped Montgomery to buy Atlanta Dream
WNBA approved the sale of Dream to a group of three-member investors on Friday. Montgomery is joined by Larry Gottesdiener, President of Northland Real Estate, and Suzanne Abair, President and Chief Operating Officer of Northland.
The sale concludes the multiple controversies brought about by former co-owner and former senator Kelly Loeffler, against whom the team and the rest of the league have repeatedly rejected and even campaigned for their views on the Black Lives Matter movement, among other things. Loeffler, along with former co-owner Mary Brock, took over the team in 2011.
Amid growing controversy over Loeffler and Dream, James said he wanted to form a group of owners to buy the team.
Although Montgomery wanted to do this for several months before James’ January tweet, it was when she decided to make a real move.
“I just reached out to him and said, ‘Hey, if you’re serious, I am too. If you could point me in the right direction or if you could help me move on to the next step, ‘and the next step was Cathy, ”said Montgomery on Friday.
With the help of James and More Than A Vote, Montgomery was able to meet with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to talk about the next steps.
The 34-year-old two-time WNBA champion opted out of the 2020 season to focus on social justice issues and then officially retired earlier this month – which paved the way for her to join the owner group.
Without James and More Than A Vote helping her, however, Montgomery knows that this would not have been possible.
“I wouldn’t be talking to you if it weren’t for that group,” she said. “They were very receptive in the sense of, ‘OK, yes, let me see what I can do.’ They were constantly there for me, and that’s what I think the community looks like … That’s what this is about. They all saw my vision and my passion behind it and they all wanted to help. “
And James, of course, was thrilled to see Montgomery’s vision realized.
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