Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler is out as owner of WNBA team, and the new owners include former star player who retired to fight for social justice

• Former Senator Kelly Loeffler is out as an owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream.
• The league announced Friday afternoon that it had approved sale of the franchise.
• Among the new owners is former Dream star Renee Montgomery, who retired to fight for social justice.

Kelly Loeffler is out as the owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream after more than a decade associated with the franchise.

The league announced Friday afternoon that it had approved the franchise's sale to a three-person ownership group that includes at least one name familiar to fans: Renee Montgomery.

The former Dream star and two-time WNBA champion announced her retirement on February 9 following her playing hiatus during the 2020 season to focus on social justice advocacy and reform. Mere weeks later, she's officially become a co-owner of the franchise, where she spent the final two years of her playing career.

"My Dream has come true," Renee Montgomery said via the WNBA's press release. "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!"

—Renee Montgomery (@ReneeMontgomery) February 26, 2021

For many close to the league - including its players - Loeffler's departure from the WNBA is a welcome and overdue move. Loeffler made many an enemy through her controversial comments on racial disparities in the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The conflict between the former Dream owner and the league's athletes came to a head last summer when the ex-US Senator penned a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. In the note, the pro-Trump politician came out against the players' plan to wear "Black Lives Matter" and "Say Her Name" warm-ups because it endorsed a "particular political agenda" and "sends a message of exclusion."

Calls for Loeffler's banishment from the WNBA mounted soon thereafter, with Montgomery's own voice leading the charge. In an impassioned note published on Medium, the former point guard wrote: "Senator Loeffler, with or without you, we will continue this movement because it's bigger than me or you."

She was right.

When the league failed to take direct action following Loeffler's letter, the players got creative. Through a breathtaking display of collective action, the WNBA's 144 players competing in the 2020 season backed one of Loeffler's Democratic opponents - Reverend Raphael Warnock - in her crowded Georgia Senate jungle election.

With their backing, Warnock defeated Loeffler in January's runoff to oust the controversial Republican from her seat and help Democrats successfully take control of the US Senate. One month later, a former player and outspoken social and racial justice advocate - not to mention a Black woman - has taken her place as a co-owner of the WNBA's lone franchise in the Southeast United States.

Larry Gottesdiener, the Chairman of national real estate firm Northland, and Suzanne Abair - his company's president and COO - round out the new Atlanta ownership group. On a call with the media Friday afternoon, Gottesdiener expressed his commitment to empowering the WNBA players and supporting their social justice efforts as an owner.

"It is a privilege to join a team of inspiring women who strive for excellence on the court and equity off the court," Larry Gottesdiener said via the league's release. "I would like to express my gratitude to Commissioner Engelbert, Commissioner Silver, and the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors for the opportunity."

Loeffler and her former Dream co-owner, Mary Brock, said, "we are proud of what we accomplished and wish the team well in their next chapter."